To Be Together Again
by mandyfanforevr
Summary: They defeated Sin but Yuna lost a lover in the process. Will she be able to get him back, and if she does, what will be the price? YunaTidus Lots of humour too.
1. Sin Defeated, but Sorrow Remains

Author's note: This is a story about Yuna and Tidus trying to be together again after they beat Sin and he "fades away." They didn't make it in FFX but maybe they will find a way here! A line of hyphens means either a point of view change or a passage of time.. asterisks surrounding speech means they're thinking. Knowing me and my obsession with these two, this is likely to turn into a hot and heavy romance... although it won't be easy for them along the way. Hope you enjoy it! 

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They had just defeated Sin and Yuna was performing a sending. Tidus looked down in shock as he saw pyreflies rise from his now transparent hands. Rikku looked as well and cried, "Look!" Everybody turned to see what the matter was and gasped. 

Yuna stared at him. "What.. what's happening?" 

"I'm fading away... just like they said I would..." he said as much to himself as he did to Yuna. 

"You aren't leaving me... are you?" Yuna asked. 

Tidus replied, "I have to." He stepped towards the edge of the ship, ready to jump. 

"No!" Yuna cried. She ran towards him, ready to grab him, but instead she fell right through him and landed on the deck of the ship. She just laid there for a moment, weeping. *How can this be happening?* she thought. *Aren't we enough to keep him here... aren't _I_ enough? Why won't he stay?*  
  
"Yuna..." Tidus said. 

She stood up with her back to him. Tears continued to fall down her face... she had a look of defeation. There was only one thing to say. "I love you." 

Tidus walked up to her and put his arms around her the best he could. She just stood there, unmoving. After a moment he let go, and made a running leap off of the ship. 

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She stood on the end of the dock in Besaid, whistling with all her might.. hoping Tidus would come running. She couldn't stop thinking to herself, asking why it had to be this way. *He said he'd be with me always. And he promised he'd always come running at my whistle. Yet he isn't here now... why not? Why did he break all of his promises to me? Please come back to me Tidus... please come, I need you.*  
  
Lulu walked up behind her. "Yuna, it's time." After one last glance to the sea, Yuna followed her. 

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Yuna looked out onto the crowd that filled the Luca stadium. So many people awaiting her speech... she took a deep breath and began. "Sin has been defeated, and he's never coming back! Spira is ours again!" She waited for the crowd to stop cheering before she continued. "We can now rebuild our homes. It will be hard, and it will take time, but we will do it." Once again, the crowd cheered and she had to wait for it to die down. "Just... one more thing. We have all lost friend and family, hopes and dreams. Your loved ones that have been lost," her voice falls to a whisper, "or dreams that have faded..." A memory of her and Tidus in Lake Macalania comes to mind. How he held her, comforted her... kissed her. Oh, how she missed him already. She was barely able to hold back the tears that the thoughts brang. "Never forget them." 

She quickly turned and ran down the stairs and the tears started to pour down her cheeks once again. Wakka looked after her sympathetically but doesn't know what to do. Rikku started to run after her, but Lulu stopped her. "She needs time to herself right now." 

Rikku waved her arms around emphatically. "But her being alone is the problem! We have to help her."  
  
"What can we do to help her? Tidus is gone for good, ya? There's nothing we can do about that," Wakka said. 

Rikku started to object, but knew he was right. What could they do? "I just... hope she's okay." 

"She will be, in time," Lulu assured her. But even she wasn't sure it was true.... 

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Tidus was watching all of this from the Farplane, using a sphere. "It isn't fair! I get pulled out of Zanarkand and thrown into a world I don't know, and just when I find something to hold on to, I'm ripped out of that one as well!"  
  
"Life isn't fair," Auron said.  
  
"Why are you always like that?" Tidus demanded. 

"Like what?" 

"You always say something that sounds like it should mean something... but it doesn't mean anything!" 

Auron shook his head at Tidus' emotional outbursts. Tidus turned back to the image of Yuna to find her crying on her bed. "Yuna...." He can't help but start to cry himself. 

Jecht decided this is a perfect time to chime in, "Still a crybaby, always a crybaby. Why don't you ever act like a man and stop crying for once?" 

Tidus glared at him, "Shut up, dad." 

Auron said, "What he means is that at some point you have to stop holding onto the past. It's pointless to want something you can't have. You can't go back, so you might as well move on." 

Jecht snorted. "Yeah, something like that."  
  
Tidus didn't give in. "But what if there is a way back?" 

Auron gave an exasperated sigh. Won't this boy ever give up and accept the truth? "There isn't one." 

"But what if there is? I can't just sit here and do nothing when there might be a way. Everybody said Sin couldn't be defeated without the final aeon... without Yuna giving up her life. But we proved them wrong! We did everything the way everybody said not to, and look where it got us. Sin is gone for good, and Yuna lives on." 

"But you don't. Nothing comes without a price. You are that price."  
  
"Maybe not. We've yet to find a way to do something when we really needed to. How is this any different? There _must_ be a way. Where there's a will, there's a way, right?"  
  
Auron shook his head again. This was going to take some time... 

Suddenly Tidus' face lit up. "Oh, I've got it! I know what to do!" 

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Hope you've enjoyed it so far! 


	2. Life Without Tidus

Here's the second chapter, telling what Yuna is feeling. Don't hate me for not telling you what Tidus' idea was... it's coming, I promise! 

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Yuna laid on her bed, crying. Thinking about Lake Macalania had been too much for her. It had been a moment so perfect, where she had forgotten how harsh the world really was. Now she would never have another one like it... or another one with Tidus at all, for that matter. She looked at the ocean through her window. The waves, which were usually so calm, now looked as trouble as she felt. She thought about how much more peaceful she would feel if she jumped into the waves and let them take her. She burst into tears again, as she knew she could never do something like that. She would just have to live alone. All she could do was cry and cry until she fell asleep. 

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The sun shone upon Yuna's eyes. She squinted and rolled over to try to squeeze in a few more minutes of slumber. She then noticed a presence above her. "Tidus?" 

"Tidus gone. Kimahri here," Kimahri reminded her. 

It all came back to her then... How Rikku shouted for them to look, and then she saw his translucent hands. She remembered falling through him... then he jumped. She shook her head to chase the memory away. "Of course. I had.... forgotten. Thank you Kimahri."  
  
Kimahri looked worried... as worried as a Ronso can look, anyway.... so she faked a reassuring smile. This seemed to please him and they walked downstairs. Rikku was cooking everybody breakfast... or more accurately, burning it. Lulu was standing next to her, trying to salvage what she could. They could hear her attempts at instructions. 

"Rikku, you need to turn the french toast over now. Carefully!"  
  
"Like this?" Rikku flipped the french toast into the air... and it promptly landed on the stove.  
  
"Rikku.."  
  
"No, no, I've got it! See? Oh, hot!" Rikku said while trying to coax the french toast back onto the spatula with her fingers. Lulu sighed and concentrated on keeping the sausage edible. Wakka was leaning against the door frame, laughing at the both of them. 

"Hey sleepyhead! 'Bout time you got up," Wakka said. 

Lulu cast him a warning glance and he quickly added, "I just meant you're missing the show. Rikku trying to cook breakfast should be entertaining, ya?" 

Rikku, oblivious to the conversation, asked Lulu, "Hey, Lulu, are the eggs supposed to look like that?" 

Lulu directed her attention to the scrambled eggs and muttered an, "Oh my." 

Wakka chuckled and turned back to Yuna. "How you doin'? Feeling better, ya?"  
  
Yuna struggled to hide a look of despair. "Yes, Wakka, I'm fine. Thank you." Her eyes drifted to the sea once again and she just stared, lost in thought. Would she ever be able to say that truthfully, she wondered.  
  
Upon seeing Yuna's vacant look, Lulu gave Wakka another glare. "Why don't you three go put dishes on the table?"  
  
Wakka gave one last chuckle when Rikku started poking at the eggs while Lulu's back was turned and headed for the dining room. Kimahri, Wakka and Yuna started placing dishes on the table. Uncomfortable with how quiet Yuna was being, he asked her, "What do you want to do today?"  
  
Yuna was silent until she realized the question was directed at her. "I thought I would just... stay here. Rest up a bit. The last few days have been a bit... hard." She hadn't meant to let the sadness creep into her voice, but it was there just the same.  
  
"Wouldn't you rather go out and do something? Get your mind off of..." Wakka trailed off, knowing it was the wrong thing to say. "We could watch a blitzball game. You always liked blitzball, ya?"  
  
"Blitzball.." *Tidus. He loves blitzball. No... he loved blitzball. Past tense. How can I be thinking about him in the past tense?* She began to tremble and shook her head. "Why don't we just... go for a walk by the dock. And maybe..." She tried to think of something -- anything -- to do besides watch blitzball. Something that didn't remind her of... him. "We could have a picnic!" 

Kimahri mistaked her desperation for excitement. Anything she was excited about was good, he thought. "Kimahri think picnic good idea."  
  
"I think so too. A picnic.. that'll be fun, ya?" Wakka said.  
  
"Hm." She gave a slight nod and was lost in her own thoughts again. 

Just then Lulu and Rikku came in carrying pans of food. "Everybody out of the way, master chef coming through!" Rikku warned.  
  
"Rikku, not on the bare--" Before Lulu got the chance to finish, they all heard the table sizzle when Rikku set it down. "Table." She grabbed some hot pads and slid them under the pans.  
  
"Hehe, oops!" She bounded into her chair while Lulu served everyone. "What are we going to do today? We've spent all this time planning everything around defeating Sin... but we've done that! And to think we never planned for afterwards." She started shoveling food into her mouth. 

Lulu looked over at Yuna picking at her food. She knew Rikku was wrong... somebody did have plans for the afterward. But now she could never live them.  
  
Wakka replied to Rikku, "Yuna suggested a picnic by the dock."  
  
"Ooh, a picnic, that's a wonderful idea, Yunie! Mmm, this sure is good, isn't it?" Rikku had half her plate clean by this time.  
  
Lulu looked down at the slightly burnt eggs and crispy sausage and couldn't help but laugh. "Yes Rikku, it's wonderful." 

Wakka nodded in agreement as he scarfed down his own serving. Kimahri had little to add to the conversation, as usual. Yuna continued to pick at her food until she noticed everybody else was done. "I'll clean up." She quickly stacked everyone's plates on top of hers, hoping they wouldn't notice she had barely touched it. While she was scraping them into the trash Lulu came up behind her. 

"I noticed you didn't eat anything... you really miss him, don't you?" Lulu asked. She knew what it was like.. she knew how badly Yuna must be hurting.  
  
Yuna set the plates down on the counter. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes again. Would they never stop coming? "He can't really be gone.... can he? He wouldn't do that to me. He'll find a way back to me, he must. He always said he'd be with me always. He'll come back... won't he?" She looked up at Lulu's face and could tell she didn't think so. She burst into tears all over again. 

Lulu put her arms around Yuna and held her. "I'm sorry, Yuna. I wish there was something I could do." After her sobs died down, Yuna just shook her head and smiled. Lulu knew it was forced, but what could she say? She just put her hand on her shoulder. "I'll get the picnic stuff ready." 


	3. A Plan

Auron said, "What's this brilliant idea of yours?"  
  
"When everybody was asleep, me and Yuna were looking into a teleportation spell. She had found it in a book or something earlier. Anyway, we thought it might help when fighting against tough fiends... to avoid attacks or disorient them or something," Tidus replied. 

"Why didn't you use it, then?"  
  
"It took too much magic... more magic than anybody could have mustered during battle. Yuna tried to do it.. it almost worked, but she couldn't quite pull it off."  
  
"If Yuna couldn't do it, what makes you think you can?"  
  
"I don't... not by myself, at least."  
  
"If you think I'm going to help with this ridi--"  
  
"No, you couldn't help me even if you wanted to. Your magic is too weak."  
  
"I'm not going to be of much help either. That power was from Braska's Aeon, not me," Jecht said. 

"I know, I wasn't thinking of you either."  
  
Jecht and Auron looked around them for somebody else. Of course, they saw nobody. Auron, more than a little confused, asked, "Just who are you planning on helping you, then?"  
  
"Yuna, of course. She's the only one strong enough."  
  
Jecht raised an eyebrow. "I really did screw you up as a kid, didn't I?"  
  
Tidus looked confused then laughed. "No, no... well, yeah, actually, but this will work. I just need to let her know what I'm doing." 

Auron laughed, "That's just a small hole in your plan, don't you think?" 

Tidus sighed. "I know. There must be a way to reach her..." He looked down at the sphere again. It seemed his only portal to her, and it was one way. The wrong way. He glared at the barriers of the Farplane that enclosed him. If only he could cut through them with a swipe of his sword. But that would never work... or would it? He drew his sword and readied for a swing. 

"You don't really expect that to work, do you?" Auron asked. 

"Yeah, you can't cut the Farplane. If you could, nobody would even still be here!" Jecht agreed. 

"Watch me." He swung his sword, and they all gaped in surprise as it cut right through the walls. 

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Thanks for reading this far... I'll be working on the next chapter right after I upload this one. Please leave a review, I want to know what you think... tell me what you like and don't like, and I'll work on making it better! 


	4. In Denial

Okay, finished the next chapter. Thank you to the one person who left a review so far, I really appreciate it... this one's dedicated to you!:)  
  
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The gang was on the beach near the dock. Wakka and Lulu were having a whispered convseration while Rikku ran around picking up shiny shells and interestingly colored rocks. Yuna had seemed to pick up Kimahri's lack of conversational skills. 

"I was talking to Yuna in the kitchen earlier.. she doesn't believe Tidus is gone," Lulu told Wakka. "She tries to pretend that she's fine, but she isn't." 

"That's Yuna... always trying to be strong."  
  
Lulu, frustrated that Wakka didn't get the point, said, "She's in denial. It can't be good for her."  
  
"What would you expect? You said yourself she'd be fine in time, ya? That's all she needs. It's all we can give her." 

Just then, a blonde boy passed in front of them. Yuna just caught a glimpse of his hair. "Tidus!" she called. He didn't respond, of course, but she could tell it wasn't him. It wasn't him...  
  
"See Wakka?" Lulu said to him.  
  
"Yeah, you're right. But what can we do?" Before she got the chance to respond he announced, "Hey, this looks like a good spot, ya?" Yuna turned her gaze away from the blonde boy and nodded. Rikku came running over with a pile of shells.   
  
"Lookie what I found!" Rikku told them. Lulu spread out a blanket for them to sit on and Rikku dropped the shells on top of it. Everybody laughed, including Yuna, in spite of herself. Rikku could make anybody laugh, she was always so cheerful. She did and said whatever came to her mind, without it ever occuring to her to be embarrassed about it. Yuna wished she could be like that.. and not be so weighed down by everything. Everybody took out a sandwich and started munching away.. except Yuna, who just took little nibbles.  
  
"Ick, ants." Rikku tried to shoo them off the blanket but most of them got past her. Lulu looked over at them nervously.  
  
Wakka saw this and said, "You're not afraid of ants, are you?"  
  
Lulu looked at him with that stern look of hers. "Of course not.. It's just that they can.." Lulu paused for a short moment, "spread diseases. A friend told me that... better to keep them away."  
  
Rikku nearly choked and looked a little pale. "They do that? Really?" She grabbed a nearby stick and starting shooing them away again.  
  
Wakka laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure they do."  
  
Kimahri was watching Yuna, the summoner he had protected ever since she was a small child. Her eyes had wandered back to the boy with Tidus' hair and she had barely eaten any of her sandwich. He could protect her from all the fiends in the world, but there was one danger even he could not guard against -- herself.  
  
All Yuna could do was stare. *Maybe if I look at him long enough... and hard enough... he'll turn into Tidus. Maybe he is Tidus.. maybe the trip effected him.. maybe I should call to him again...* Yuna thought. They were crazy, desperate thoughts, but she couldn't help but think them anyhow.   
  
For the countless time that day, Lulu looked over to see Yuna staring into space. *Maybe..* she thought, *maybe I know a way to help her.* "Perhaps we should take a trip to the Farplane."  
  
All of the sudden Yuna was completely alert.. and looked a lot paler than Rikku did at the mention of diseased ants. "Th-the Farplane? ....Why would we want to do that?"  
  
"To see Tidus. To help you accept that he's gone." Lulu said gently.  
  
Yuna swallowed hard, even though she hadn't really been chewing anything. "I don't think that's a good idea..."  
  
"I know it's hard, but it'll be for the best," Lulu assured her.  
  
Yuna looked stunned. Rikku waved her hand in front of her face. "Yunie?" Wakka tapped her on the shoulder and she snapped out of it... mostly.  
  
"Sorry.." Could she really visit the Farplane? What if he was really there? It would mean she didn't have a chance... but it didn't look like she was getting out of it. "I guess we can do that."  
  
"I'll call Cid to bring the airship over so we can fly there," Rikku said, then ran off to contact him. Wakka and Lulu managed to pack up the food before the airship came in. It created a bit of a breeze and blew their hair and clothes.  
  
Down came the door. "All aboard!" Cid called.  
  
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As they approached Guadosalem, Yuna could feel every part of her tensing. So many emotions ran through her at once -- fear, anticipation, anxiety... and hope. If for some reason he didn't show up, that meant she had a chance... it might take her days, weeks or months to find him, but she had a chance. But she had seen him jump off the ship into the Farplane.. what chance was there? Still, she couldn't give up.  
  
"Yunie... we're here."  
  
They looked onto the city of the Guado as Cid landed the ship. They would all see if it had become Yuna's lover's new home soon enough. With a sense of darkness and despair about them, they left the ship and made their way to the Farplane.  
  
With every nearing step, she felt her dread grow. Would he be there.. or would he not? Did she really want to know? She remembered what Yunalesca had told her. "It is better for you to die in hope than to live in despair." The words hadn't seemed right at the time, but they rang true now.. but no, she wouldn't get in to that. She had to be strong... When she looked up from thought, she saw the stairs leading to the Farplane. This was it...  
  
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Tidus watched as his sword sliced through the liquidy Farplane wall. But, as liquids do, it sunk right back around his sword, filling in the hole faster than he could ever hope to get through it. And it was too thick... gel like... to just walk through. He sighed. "Well, it was worth a shot." Just then he looked at the sphere and saw Yuna. "She's here! She's at the Farplane! Yuna! YUNA!"  
  
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Yuna walked up to the wispy Farplane surroundings. She tried to think of everything but Tidus... she forced one random thing after another into her mind -- butterflies, shoopufs, her home in Besaid -- but it was inevitable. Tidus' face forced it's way in, and she shut her eyes tight, not wanting to see. But then... she heard something. Forgetting for a moment what she was here for, she concentrated with all her might on the sound. It sounded familiar... but it was so quiet.. then it dawned on here. It was somebody whistling. Her eyes popped open, and she did her best to judge where it was coming from and whistled with all her might back.  
  
"What in the heck is she doing?!" Rikku cried.  
  
Lulu looked confused too. "I don't know..."  
  
"Maybe she's gone crazy," Wakka suggested.  
  
Both Rikku and Lulu glared at him.  
  
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Tidus was thrilled. She could hear him... she couldn't hear him speak, but she could hear him whistle! But he couldn't tell her what she needed to know with a whistle. He could tell by the way she concentrated when she first heard it how soft it was. But what if he kept slashing at the wall... tried to keep it thin? He took out his sword again and hit it over and over, while whistling.. but it never stayed open long enough to make a difference. His hope was draining fast... and he couldn't keep the whistling up much longer... then he smacked himself on the forehead. Duh! A slow spell! That ought to make it slow down enough to thin down the walls with his sword and let his whistle through loud and clear... but he was still at a loss of how to tell her to use the teleportation spell. But he cast the spell anyway.. maybe she could hear him yell like this...  
  
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She was beginning to wonder if she was hallucinating... it was so soft... how could she be sure she wasn't making it up in her head? Maybe she just trying to make herself feel better... give her that last bit of hope to hang onto... Just then, she knew it was real. It started coming in louder and louder. She couldn't be imagining it! She turned to her loyal protectors and friends. "You guys hear that, don't you? Tidus whistling?"  
  
They all looked at each other, unsure of what to say. "I hear _somebody_ whistling. Or something." Rikku said.  
  
"How do you know it's Tidus?" Lulu asked.  
  
"He said.. if we ever got seperated, he'd whistle so we could find each other again. I know it's him, it _has_ to be."  
  
"If it is him, doesn't that mean he's stuck here?" Wakka asked, perhaps a little too bluntly.  
  
Yuna's face fell. Was he right? "Or maybe he's trying to tell me something! To get him out!" She thought out loud.  
  
"But how are you going to tell from a whistle?" Lulu asked. Yuna wondered that as well...  
  
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Tidus was desperately trying to think of a way to communicate with her. Whenever he yelled she showed no response... she must not be able to hear him. How can you tell somebody something with just one sound? *Wait...* He thought. *I wonder if any of them know...* He started whistling in patterns of short and longs.  
  
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"Wait... it's changed." Rikku said. "It has like... a pattern to it now!"  
  
They all listened. "So it does." Lulu said. "What does it mean?"  
  
"Some kind of... code?" Yuna asked. Tidus hadn't taught her anything like that, though.  
  
"Hey... I know this..." Rikku cocked her head to the side.  
  
"What is it??" Yuna asked.   
  
"Shhh!" Rikku replied. "S-E-L-E-P-O-R-S-A-S-I-O-N," there was a gap of silence, "T-P-E-L-L."  
  
"Huh?? What does that mean?"  
  
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Tidus saw that they all looked confused. Rikku seemed to recognize it... was she having trouble translating? He repeated the pattern, hoping she'd figure it out.  
  
Jecht laughed. "You got the "T" and the "S" mixed up!"  
  
Tidus, trying to remember from when he learned it, realized he was right. He quickly corrected the sequence and started over.  
  
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The whistling stopped. "What's going on? Why'd he stop?" Yuna asked.  
  
"Shh.." It had started again. "He's doing it differently this time. T-E-L-E-P-O-R-T-A-T-I-O-N..... S-P-E-L-L. Teleportation spell!"  
  
Lulu looked at Yuna with a curious look. "What teleportation spell?"  
  
"It was something Tidus and I found in an old book laying on the ground. We tried it... but it was too hard... we decided it was useless and I haven't thought about it since."  
  
"But if you can't do it, why'd he--" Wakka began, but Yuna cut him off.  
  
"I don't know. I just.. don't know.."  
  
"Wait!" Rikku called out. "He's doing another one."  
  
"What's he saying this time?" Yuna.  
  
Rikku didn't bother shushing her that time. "T-O-G-E-T-H-E-R."  
  
Yuna sighed. "I know... I want to be together, too," she whispered to herself.  
  
"Maybe that isn't what he meant." Lulu said.  
  
Now it was Yuna's turn to look confused, "Then what does he mean?"  
  
"When two people perform a spell at once... it can be much more powerful. Perhaps he means that if the two of you cast the spell at the same time, you will have enough magic to complete it."   
  
That was it! It would work! Yuna felt like she was floating on a cloud.... they could be together again. She didn't have to be alone! She began to recall the spell from memory. She lifted her arms up in the arm, and began saying,   
"Guardians of light,  
that shine down upon us.  
We ask for your--"  
  
Lulu reached for her arms and cut her off. "Are you sure about this? If this spell was hidden away.."  
  
"No, it'll work!" Yuna cried. How could she stop her, when she was so close that she could practically feel him? Oh, to be in his arms once more. She was about to begin again when Lulu stopped her once more.  
  
"We should leave the Farplane first. If you just transport him this far... who knows if he will actually escape?" It was a sore excuse, but Lulu had a bad feeling about the spell. "Let's go home and do it there. It'll give him time to prepare as well."  
  
Yuna sighed. She was probably right... she wouldn't want anything to mess it up. "Rikku?"  
  
"Yeah, Yunie?"  
  
"Could you tell him something for me?"  
  
"I... I can't whistle." She laughed and blushed slightly.  
  
"Could you tell me what to whistle?"  
  
"Sure. What do you want to say?"  
  
"I understand. I'll do as you say. We'll be together again."  
  
They somehow managed to get the message through, and heard another one in reply.  
  
"What's he saying this time?" Yuna asked, with excitement in her voice.  
  
"I... L-O-V.... it stopped. I guess, he couldn't do it anymore. Maybe he ran out of breath."  
  
Yuna paused for a moment. Had something happened? If something came between them now... no, there's no point in thinking that. "What do you think he was trying to say?"  
  
"He loves you." Lulu said. Even though she was still worried, she gave a slight smile. Yuna gave a bigger one. "Come on, it's time to go." Lulu told her. They headed back to the airship, so Yuna could perform the spell at home.  
  
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The slow spell wore off and the wall closed up. He tried to cast it again but it had no effect. Right in the middle of his last message... how he wanted her to know, _needed_ her to know. He looked to the sphere, to try and see if she understood it. He saw her walking out with a smile... she must know then. He smiled too, then started to prepare for the spell.  
  
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Will Tidus' and Yuna's spell work, or will it go horribly wrong like Lulu fears? What will they do if he comes back.. or even worse, if he doesn't? You'll just have to wait and see! Please leave a review to let me know you're reading this and that it isn't all for nothing.:) 


	5. Too Late

Wow, thanks for the reviews! I was beginning to think nobody was bothering to read this thing, lol. I really love your feedback and am glad that you are enjoying my story so! As a thanks, I've decided to write another chapter earlier than I had planned. Thank you both!  
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Yuna dug out the old and worn spell book and flipped to the part with the teleportation spell. She was pretty sure she could remember it, but she didn't want to take any chances. Lulu looked over her shoulder... the book looked so ancient. She wondered if they could trust the spells in it to not have any repercussions. Such powerful magic often had, she knew. She also knew there was no point in bringing up such worries to Yuna, as she would do anything to get Tidus back. All she could do was hope everything would turn out okay. Yuna took out her scepter and held it, ready to start the spell.  
  
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Tidus looked into the sphere and saw that Yuna was beginning the spell. He didn't have a scepter, so he just stood, concentrating. He began to recite the magic words...  
"Guardians of light,  
that shine down upon us.  
We ask for your guidance..."  
  
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Yuna was twirling the scepter above her head and around her body in intricate patterns.  
  
"...and for you to give us your strength.  
Rulers of darkness,  
that wield the unholy power.  
We ask for that power now,  
and for you to assist us in our task.  
Powers, both light and dark,   
we call upon you now.  
Move the being we desire,  
to the destination we seek."  
  
Light engulfed Yuna, as it did Tidus. They could both feel the power racing through them, it was almost too much to bear. Tidus struggled to stand, but Yuna remained strong and steady.  
  
"Bring Tidus to me," she finished. There was a flash of light, then a clap of what sounded like thunder... but so much darker. She collapsed onto the floor.  
  
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Yuna opened her eyes to a harsh light, and quickly closed them again. Her head pounded and she felt nauseous and disoriented. Where was she? She slowly tried opening them again to find that the light was gentler now. Blurred faces hovered above her.  
  
"She's waking up," Wakka said.  
  
"Yunie! Are you all right?" Rikku asked.  
  
"Quiet, Rikku," Lulu warned.  
  
The pounding in her head started to subside and she realized where she was -- in her bed. What had happened? She tried to sit up but her head disagreed with the act.  
  
"Easy. Don't try to sit up yet," Lulu told her.  
  
*Not going to be a problem,* she thought.  
  
"Rikku, go get a glass of water." Lulu directed as she gently put a warm cloth against Yuna's head. She wasn't used to being the healer, but she had little choice at the moment. Rikku ran off and came back a moment later with a glass. Lulu held it to Yuna's mouth. "Drink this, it'll help."  
  
Yuna did as she was told and felt a little better. She tried sitting up again -- slower, this time -- and succeeded. "What happened?" Looking around, she saw that in addition to the voices she had heard, Kimahri was also nearby. A very important face was missing..  
  
"When you finished the spell, light went everywhere... when it was gone, you were on the floor. We couldn't get you to wake up.. you had us so worried! Don't do that to us again, ya?" Wakka said.  
  
If it had done that to her... what kind of effect did it have on Tidus? His magic wasn't anywhere near as strong as hers... maybe he was nearby, always unconscious. A strange thing to hope for, but it seemed her best shot. "Tidus?" She asked, still too weak to say more. As soon as she saw the looks on their faces, she knew it didn't work.  
  
"He isn't here, Yunie. We don't know where he his.. but the spell was incredible! How could it give off such a show and not do anything? Did it do that the last time you tried it?" Rikku said.  
  
Yuna started to shake her head but stopped when the headache made another strike. They got the idea, though. This was new... it had done something.  
  
"Maybe it worked... maybe it just didn't bring him here. He's probably out there somewhere, ya?" Wakka suggested.  
  
"But he could be anywhere.. he might not be in Spira... or even this time..." The progressively worse possibilities ran through her mind. What if she sent him another 1000 years into the future, or to some hell dimension?  
  
"Don't worry about it now. We will take care of later.. right now you need your rest," Lulu said.  
  
Yuna would have argued, but she didn't have the energy. Soon she was asleep.  
  
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Tidus woke up to find himself sprawled across some sort of stone. "Where am I..?" He wondered out loud. It wasn't the Farplane, that was for sure. But it wasn't Besaid either... He slowly got up and took a look around. There were lots of bustling people. The place looked familiar.. was it? No, it couldn't be, that didn't make any sense. He looked around again to confirm his suspicions. He was definitely right. He was in Luca! He could see the stadium where blitzball games were held and the docks. In fact, it looked like there was a ship about to launch for Besaid. Taking no time to try to figure out why he had ended up in Luca instead of Besaid, he ran for the boat.  
  
"Wait for me!" He yelled, just as they were about to pull away. He jumped on. "You're going to Besaid, right?" He asked the person at the helm.  
  
"Yep.. with a short stop to Kilika in between."  
  
He thought about Yuna... she must think the spell didn't work. He remembered watching her the night after he.. left. She had been crying in bed, staring at the ocean out her window. She seemed peaceful for a moment, then started crying again... what had she been thinking about? It couldn't be... no, Yuna would never do that. She would never take her own life... He wished he could check on her now, make sure she was okay. Since he couldn't, he decided to rest down below until they got to Kilika.  
  
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Yuna awoke and saw the sun setting. She had hoped Tidus would be with her so they could see it together, but it hadn't happened. No one was to be seen... she guessed they had left to let her rest. She got up and went to go find them. As she entered the living room, she saw them sitting around talking quietly. "Hello," she said.  
  
"Yunie! You're up!" Rikku ran over and hugged her. Yuna let out a low groan... she still hurt a bit. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I'll be more careful."  
  
"It's okay Rikku. I can just cast a curing spell." Before she had the chance, Lulu stopped her. Something she had been doing a lot lately.  
  
"Don't. You've used more than enough magic for today. Give yourself a chance to rest."  
  
Yuna sighed. Not that it mattered.. even Curaga couldn't take her pain away. "I don't think the spell worked. It doesn't make sense for it to have transported him to a random location. It either would have brought him here or not brought him here... which means he's still in the Farplane. It was all for nothing.."  
  
"Don't say that. Maybe if Lulu helped too, you could do it!" Rikku suggested.  
  
Yuna shook her head. "It's hopeless."  
  
That was something they never thought they'd hear her say. They could see the despair written all over her face... she didn't even try to hide it. She had completely given up. "I'm going to take a walk.. I want to be alone..." Yuna left without waiting for their response.  
  
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Tidus awoke on the ship, which was stopped at Kilika. He was shaking from the dream he had about Yuna... about her throwing herself in the ocean in the depths of her sorrow. He couldn't let that happen. He stepped onto the deck and entered the the room the captain was in. "When will we get to Besaid?" he asked.  
  
"There's been a hold up. We might have to delay it until tomorrow," the captain said.  
  
Tomorrow.. that was too long. What if she didn't last until then? "Can't we leave now? I really need to get to Besaid."  
  
"Sorry, you'll have to wait," the caption replied, uncaring.  
  
Tidus drew his sword and put it to the captain's throat. "Get this ship to Besaid. Now."  
  
"But there is somebody _very_ important coming. We have to wait for him. He's the--" the captain tried to explain before Tidus cut him off.  
  
"I don't care who he is, or what he is, or what he'll be doing here. I need to get to Besaid, and you're bringing me there!" Tidus was nearly screaming. The captain, seeing he was in no position to negotiate, gestured for the helmsman to head full speed to Besaid.  
  
"We should be there in an hour or two."  
  
"Good." He lowered his sword but stood by to make sure his "request" was fulfilled.  
  
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Yuna walked along the deserted beach. Nobody was in sight. She gazed at the waves.. the tide was coming in now. They were calm once again.. but she could fix that. She spotted a large rock that would be covered when the tide came in. Checking to make sure nobody was watching, she started to make her way to it.  
  
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The ship approached the dock of Besaid. As soon as it was close enough, Tidus jumped off and started running to find Yuna. He had the most horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.. he knew something bad was about to happen, and he had to stop it.  
  
He was headed for the village when he saw a figure standing on a rock in the waves. Unable to make out the figure because of distance and the dark, he walked towards it. He couldn't help but notice that the waves got rougher every second, as if to swallow something. And the tide was coming in fast... he was going to have to swim pretty soon. He looked up and saw who it was -- Yuna! She was doing a dance on the rock, and with every sweep of her scepter a wave came up towards her, ready to take her down. It was a wonder she had lasted this long. "Yuna!" he called, but the wind drowned him out. He dived into the water, swimming to get closer to her. "Yuna!" he tried to yell again, but a mouthful of saltwater drowned him out. Coughing and struggling to stay afloat, he yelled at her one last time. "YUNA!" But it was too late... the waves had knocked her down.  
  
He searched the rocky waters for any sign of her, but saw nothing. *Damn this darkness!* he thought. How would he ever find her now? Just then a light fell upon him.  
  
"Tidus!" Rikku cried from the shore. "It's you! ...But how?"  
  
"There's no time to explain... Yuna is out here somewhere! Get out here and help with the light!"  
  
Rikku joined him in the water with the lantern, holding it above water to keep it from going out. The waves had calmed a bit since Yuna had "fallen" in, so it wasn't too difficult. Tidus dived under the water, hoping it would help him see. He looked all around him. Where _was_ she?! And then he saw it -- the drifting girl in an outfit of purple, pink and white. He swam towards her with all his might and wrapped his arms around her. Unfortunately he couldn't enjoy the reunion, as she was dying as the seconds ticked by.  
  
Rikku saw him break the surface with Yuna in his arms. She shone the light in his path to help him find his way to shore. He layed her down and put his ear close to her mouth... she wasn't breathing. Tears began to fall from his eyes. "Yuna, you can't die on me. Not now. Not after all we've been through." He performed CPR on her, hoping it would revive her. 1, 2, 3 pumps on the chest... then blow in the mouth. He did this over and over.. but she wouldn't respond. Everyone was gathered around looking horribly worried. All of them were doubting she'd make it. Just as their last hopes were dwindling, she started sputtering water. He turned her on her side to help her cough up the water. She looked up at him, breathing hard.  
  
*Was this real?" she wondered. The spell hadn't worked... he couldn't be kneeling in front of her, crying. But it seemed real.. "Tidus?" It was a question she had asked too many times in the past few days.. and she didn't know what she would do if once again the answer was no.  
  
"It's me. It's really me," he assured her through his tears. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her oh so tight. "I'll never let you go again. I promise. Never again." He kissed her, long and passionately, and she returned it with just as much passion."  


Yuna started crying too, but out of happiness. "Don't ever break that promise. I couldn't take it."  
  
"Never. I love you Yuna."  
  
"I love you Tidus." They kissed again and held each other for several minutes. Everybody around them smiled and Rikku even blushed. It was so good to see them together again... and Yuna happy.  
  
But not all was well... although none of them yet knew it. From the darkest shadows something watched them... something evil, something that liked the taste of blood. And it didn't come from Spira.  
  


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Was that the happy part you were looking for, ladyyami?:) I'll be sure to include more of it in the next one.. trust me, I've been dying to get to it too! 


	6. A Dream Come True, or Just a Dream?

Author's note: Eek! Sorry for the long wait, guys! I had a bit of writer's block for awhile there, but I managed to overcome it. Thanks for all of your reviews!!! Oh, and I have anonymous reviews enabled now.. I didn't realized I had it turned off before... hehe!  
  
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While Tidus held Yuna, he realized she was shivering. It wasn't surprising, considering she was soaking wet. He reached for his jacket to put around her shoulders then realized he didn't have one. He couldn't even lend her his shirt as a towel since he was just as wet as she was. He got up then reached out a hand to pull help her up. "Let's go home, you look like you're freezing!"  
  
Yuna nodded in agreement. She was still wondering how he was here when the spell didn't work. Apparently Tidus had somebody else's convenient arrival in mind.  
  
"What are you guys doing here?" he asked.  
  
"We heard somebody calling Yunie's name, so we came out to see what was going on!" Rikku answered.  
  
"Speaking of mysterious appearances, you sure did get here at a good time, ya? Wakka inquired.  
  
"I woke up in Luca, and had a horrible feeling that something was going to happen to Yuna. So I came here as fast as I could on the ship," Tidus said.  
  
"That was a fast journey all the way from Luca. It usually takes a few days to travel that far," Lulu commented.  
  
"Yeah, well," Tidus glanced down at the ground, "I kind of... threatened the captain to get here faster."  
  
Rikku giggled. "All to be with Yunie! Cuuuute!"  
  
Yuna blushed slightly and Tidus smiled at her, which made her blush even more. She shivered again so he put his arm around her.  
  
"But how did you end up in Luca? That spell was supposed to bring you here," Wakka asked.  
  
"Perhaps even with their combined powers, it wasn't enough to bring him all the way," Lulu suggested.  
  
"Yeah! I bet that's it. You're so smart Lulu." Rikku told her.  
  
Just then they approached and entered Yuna's home. "Kimahri get Yuna towel," Kimahri said.  
  
"Thank you," she replied. "We'll be upstairs."  
  
Rikku giggled. "We? Doing what?"  
  
"Yeah, doing what?" Tidus teased her. Yuna blushed but instead of answering just headed up stairs. Since he had his arm around her still, he was obliged to follow.  
  
When they reached her room Yuna said, "I need to get dressed." Tidus nodded for her to do so but didn't let go. She giggled. "I can't do that while you're holding on to me."  
  
"Where there's a will, there's a way. I promised to never let go of you, remember?"  
  
She smiled. "Just a minute won't hurt."  
  
"I disagree. You look tired, maybe you'd like some help?"  
  
She laughed again. It was so wonderful to have him back with her. "Come on, I mean it!"  
  
He released her. "I need something dry to wear, too..."  
  
"Hm." She walked over to her freshly washed laundry and pulled out some of his clothes. "I... washed it. Just in case." He took them and started to leave. "Wait."  
  
"I thought you didn't want me here while you changed?"  
  
"I didn't say that. I just don't want you to look. You can keep your back turned. I don't want you to leave just yet.."  
  
"That's just cruel, knowing you're right there behind me. What'll you do if I peek?" Tidus teased. Realizing the worry in her voice when she said she didn't want him to go, he added, "And I'm not going anywhere." They both turned when they heard a knock at the door.  
  
"Come in," Yuna said. The door opened with Kimahri holding a towel. "Thank you Kimahri." He gave it to her and left without another word. After they changed and dried off she took his clothes and laid both of their wet outfits on the window sill to dry.  
  
"I guess I should go sleep on the couch," Tidus said. He knew there was no way she was going to want him to sleep in her bed, so he headed for the door.  
  
Outside, the phantom waited. "Sleep all alone, _please. _Make my day," it growled to itself. To it's disappointment, Yuna laid a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Please don't go."  
  
Tidus couldn't help but grin as he cast a glance at Yuna's bed. "Where do you plan on me sleeping?" His face dropped as she gestured towards a chair.  
  
"Please?" She pleaded. Of course he nodded in agreement. How could he ever say no to her? He shut the door and settled down in the chair as she drifted off to sleep.  
  
"No matter, your day will come. There's no escaping it. It's just a matter of time." The dark entity promised.  
  
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Yuna awoke to the smell of sausage and bacon, and it didn't smell burnt this time. "Lulu must have managed to keep Rikku away from the stove today," she laughed to herself. She glanced over to where Tidus was sleeping -- or had been, since he wasn't there now. She looked at the window sill for his clothes but they were gone. It hadn't looked like he had been there at all. Had she just dreamt the entire thing? No, that couldn't be... Suddenly she felt something heavy jump on top of her.   
  
"Boo." Tidus grinned at her. "You were off in your own world, I couldn't resist.... hey, is everything all right?"   
  
Yuna wiped the troubled expression off her face and smiled. "No, you just startled me is all."  
  
"Didn't mean to scare you." He set a tray with breakfast on it in front of her.  
  
"Spoiling me already?"  
  
"Yeah.. well, Rikku made it, I just set it on the tray." He laughed and handed her one of the two forks he was holding.  
  
"Mmm. She's getting better." They both laughed, even though he hadn't had her cooking from the day before. She looked at him and saw he had that look... the one where a person is trying to decide whether to say something or not. "What is it?"  
  
"I was just wondering..." Yuna nodded for him to continue. "Last night, out in the water. Why did you... why did you do it?"  
  
She glanced down, unable to look him in the eye. "I guess.... you went through all that trouble to be with me. I felt I owed you the same."  
  
He looked sad. "I'd never want you to hurt yourself, Yuna."  
  
"I know... but I also... missed you."  
  
*Could her feelings for me really be that strong?* Tidus wondered. He put his arms around her and kissed her, a long, soft kiss. "I missed you too. Come on, let's go downstairs." He grabbed a plate as they got up.  
  
"You're starting to make sleeping in a habit, ya?" Wakka teased Yuna as they came down the stairs.  
  
"Well she can now! She defeated Sin and everything!" Rikku said in defense.  
  
"I guess that's true, eh?"  
  
Yuna just smiled and sat beside Tidus on the couch, where Lulu was reading the spell book. "What'cha reading?"  
  
Rikku read the current page over her shoulder. "Ooh! A love spell! Have somebody in mind?"  
  
Lulu sighed, "I'm making sure there won't be any side effects to the teleportation spell."  
  
"And if there are?" Yuna asked.  
  
"Then we'll know how to deal with them," she reassured the ever-worried Yuna.   
  
"Don't worry Yuna. Everything is perfect... what could go wrong now?" Tidus said.  
  
"Why did you say that?! Whenever somebody says that everything goes wrong!!" Rikku yelled at him.  
  
"Oops.." Tidus said, "Well, I'm sure it'll be okay." Rikku put her hand to her forehead and sighed.   
  
Trying to change the subject, Yuna said, "I think I left my scepter on the beach."  
  
"Want to go get it?" Tidus asked.  
  
"Do you even need it? It's not like you'll be summoning anytime soon, you know?" Rikku said.  
  
"I'd like to have it."  
  
"If she wants it then let's go get it!" Tidus exclaimed.  
  
"Shouldn't argue with the lady, ya?" Wakka said. "Lulu?" She still had her nose in the book. "Lu, come on." Still getting no response, he took the book away from her.  
  
"I wouldn't want to be getting that look from her!" Rikku said, referring to the death glare Wakka was receiving. Lulu snatched the book back and set it down on a nearby stand, leaving it open to the page she was at.  
  
"Let's go!"  
  
As they shut the door, the wind it created blew the pages in the book. At the bottom of the page it read "WARNING: Powerful spells can attract or even create demonic creatures. They will go after the subject that the spell was cast on if--" The rest was on the next page, which appeared to be ripped out.  
  
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"Sure is cloudy today," Rikku commented.  
  
"One of the sunniest days of my life," Tidus said, smiling at Yuna.  
  
Rikku looked confused. "Huh? What are you talking about? The sun isn't out a--" she saw him staring at Yuna and finally got a clue (for once). "Oh... hehe!"  
  
Yuna leaned against him and he put his arm around her and gave her a brief kiss. Just then he felt the air turn to ice and he turned behind him. "What is that?!"  
  
*I've found you once again! You won't get away from me this time,* the phantom thought. *Your blood will be mine soon enough.* It lunged towards the spot Tidus and Yuna were standing, and Tidus jumped in front of Yuna to protect her.  
  
"No! You can't have him!" Yuna yelled. She noticed her scepter laying on the ground near her and picked it up. She cast all the protective spells on Tidus that she knew -- Shell, Protect, Reflect and Regen. While she was trying to think up some more, Tidus jumped out of the way (while keeping Yuna behind him, of course) of the demon's attack.  
  
*Such a powerful girl. Why does she waste her power on him when it won't do her any good? There are_ much _better uses for such power. Oh yes..." it salivated at the thought.  
  
Noticing it was distracted, Tidus drew his sword and hit it hard.... but it went right through it, as if it were nothing more than a shadow. _Was_ it anything more? All of the color was drained from Yuna's face... she knew he couldn't hurt it.  
  
"I'll do Blitzball Ace on it! Nothing is immune to that!" He gathered up all his energy and prepared for a set of massive hits. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh... it sliced through air but nothing more. Regardless, he pushed his sword into the ground and jumped off of it into the air. Yuna, even though she was sure it was hopeless, threw him the blitzball to finish off the attack. Tidus kicked it with all his might, but the ball just bounced straight through the fiend. "It didn't work.. How could it have not worked..."  
  
"Lulu, do a black magic spell!" Yuna cried. Before Lulu had the chance to react, the creature made a barrier, cutting everybody off from Tidus, Yuna and itself. Lulu couldn't get through.  
  
"I'm sorry," Lulu said. The four on the other side tried to find a way to break the barrier, but all hope looked lost.  
  
"You know Holy! Cast it!" Tidus called to her. Yuna summoned her remaining strength and cast Holy upon the unholy creature... and watched in horror as it bounced back to her. "Yuna! NO!" He grabbed her by the waist and held her close, hoping to take the damage instead. It worked, and they both fell to the ground as dust flew everywhere. He gripped her tightly, refusing to let go. Finally the dust settled, and they looked around to find the gang standing over them. The phantom appeared to have left.  
  
"Where'd it go?" Tidus groaned. Yuna was still in shock and didn't answer.  
  
"Wow! How'd you survive that?!" Rikku asked.  
  
"It must have been the Shell Yuna cast on me," He smiled at her, grateful to be alive.  
  
"I can't believe you did that! You could have been killed! You come back, make more promises, and then do something like that. If I lost you again--"  
  
"Shh," he comforted, "I'm okay, just a few bruises. I'm not going anywhere." Tidus hugged her.  
  
She was still upset but relented anyway. What was she going to do, tell him to never save her life? She wanted to but it hardly seemed fair. Instead she kissed him long and passionately. "Don't leave me."  
  
"Okay lovebirds, do either of you know what that was?" Wakka interrupted.  
  
"Hey, I was enjoying that, why'd you have to interrupt?" Tidus complained. Yuna elbowed him playfully and giggled. Somehow he always cheered her up when her spirits were low.  
  
"Maybe it was just a fiend that escaped the Crusaders?" Rikku suggested.  
  
"That was no ordinary fiend," Lulu said.  
  
"Maybe Rikku is right. They do get into the village every now and then, and that one would be hard to catch," Yuna said.  
  
Lulu gave her a questioning look. "There hasn't been a fiend in the village for 5 years."  
  
"Well there's one now. And 5 years ago... that was then. Now and then." Yuna could see nobody else thought so. "Or... maybe not."  
  
"What's your theory, Lulu?" Wakka asked.  
  
"A repercussion from their spell."  
  
"Would you like to add "I told you so" on the end of that?" Tidus teased.  
  
"It being implied is enough," she said.  
  
"How do we get rid of it? Physical attacks don't hurt it, and using magic was even worse!" Rikku asked.  
  
"We'll have to check the spell book and see."  
  
As they headed back to the house, Rikku said, "Look at the bright side... at least it's sunny now!"  
  
Lulu looked up at the sky. "How bizarre, I've never seen the weather change so quickly."  
  
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Back at the house, Lulu picked up the book. "This isn't the page I left it on."  
  
"Maybe you should try a bookmark?" Rikku suggested.  
  
Lulu was too busy watching Yuna to respond. "You look exhausted."  
  
"I guess... it was a hard battle," Yuna said.  
  
"You should get some rest," Lulu instructed.  
  
"But what about Tidus, if the--"  
  
"Don't worry 'bout it. We'll take care of him. We are guardians after all, ya?" Wakka said.  
  
"Yeah, Yuna, go take a nap. I'll be okay." Tidus was giving her those sweet puppy dog eyes and she couldn't tell him no.  
  
"Be careful," she said.  
  
"I will." Tidus gave her a reassuring hug. She started to head upstairs, but Tidus said, "Wait."  
  
"Hm?" He wrapped his arms around her, held her close and kissed her. When he let her go she was smiling. *Mission accomplished.* He thought. Tidus just couldn't bear to see her sad. He watched her walk up the stairs and go into her room.  
  
"This can't be good," Lulu muttered aloud.  
  
"What is it?" Rikku asked.  
  
Lulu read from the book, "'WARNING: Powerful spells can attract or even create demonic creatures. They will go after the subject that the spell was cast on if--' The rest is on another page, which has been ripped out."  
  
"That can't be good," Wakka said.  
  
"That's what I said," Lulu reminded him.  
  
"Oh, yeah."  
  
"Who would rip out a page like that? It's the sort of thing you want to keep, isn't it?" Rikku wondered.  
  
"Unless you don't want somebody to stop you from casting a spell that would lure a demon to me," Tidus said with a sigh.  
  
"Huh?" Rikku said.  
  
"Yuna," Lulu said, realizing what Tidus was getting at. "That's why she was trying to come up with an excuse for the fiend."  
  
"I can't believe she'd do that!" Wakka exclaimed. "Doesn't she trust us?"  
  
"She's in love, she can't think," Lulu said. "Nothing on the page after it. We'll have to get the missing page if we have any hope of getting rid of it."  
  
"Maybe we should go talk to her?" Rikku suggested.  
  
Just then they all heard a loud crash from upstairs and what could have been a muffled cry. Needless to say they rushed upstairs to check on Yuna.  
  
"Oh my Yevon," Lulu muttered. The room was a complete mess, it looked as if a wild animal had torn it apart.  
  
"She's gone! Somebody kidnapped Yuna!" Tidus cried.  
  
"Or some_thing_," Rikku added not-so-helpfully.  
  
Wakka put his hand to his forehead and shook his head. "Not again.."  
  
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LadyYami209 - I'm glad you liked it that much! That was the exact thing I was going for. Thanks for your repeated reviews!  
  
kingleby - Hehe, yep. And maybe this chapter has answered your question.  
  
Sora The Keyblade Master - Good, you're supposed to be scared.:)  
  
Devie Saves - I have no idea what that means, but thanks!  
  
Sora The Keyblade Master (again) - Thanks for your support! 


	7. Off to the Rescue!

Sorry for the long delay! I know I'm slow in getting chapters up nowadays, but that's because I'm too much of a perfectionist, and after I looked over the past chapters there were sooo many things I wanted to redo that now I just keep reading them over and over trying to make them better! Hopefully it wasn't in vain, I like this chapter quite a bit. I hope you do too! I've got a good portion of the next chapter played out word for word in my mind, so it should get written down fairly quickly. Oh, and when (if) you review, please make sure to include anything that you think can be improved upon... I want to make this fic as great as possible, but I never know what you guys like and don't like. And, of course, tell me what you DO like as well, so I know to keep that! (And to be able to dance around because somebody really liked a part I worked hard on, but that's another reason altogether.) Anyway I will stop blabbing and let you read the next chapter!  
  
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"How could this have happened? It's all my fault!" Tidus cried. He said down on a nearby box and put his head in his hands.  
  
"No, it's mine. I was the one that told her to sleep all alone," Lulu said.  
  
"It doesn't matter whose fault it is! We just have to find her!" Rikku said.  
  
"I can't believe this is happening.." Wakka mumbled.  
  
"If we want to have any hope in saving her, we'll have to find that missing page," Lulu said.  
  
"How about that box he's sitting on?" Rikku suggested. Tidus stopped moping long enough to open the box beneath him and pull out it's contents.  
  
"Whoa... what is this stuff?" There were several pages, all written in Yuna's tidy handwriting. He read from one aloud.  
  
_I heard a song today, reminded me of us.  
_I'm so tired of being here  
suppressed by all of my childish fears  
and if you have to leave  
I wish that you would just leave  
because your presence still lingers here  
and it won't leave me alone   
  
these wounds won't seem to heal  
this pain is just too real  
there's just too much that time cannot erase  
  
when you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears  
when you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears  
and I've held your hand through all of these years  
but you still have all of me  
  
you used to captivate me  
by your resonating light  
but now I'm bound by the life you left behind  
your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams  
your voice it chased away all the sanity in me  
  
these wounds won't seem to heal  
this pain is just too real  
there's just too much that time cannot erase  
  
when you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears  
when you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears  
and I've held your hand through all of these years  
but you still have all of me  
  
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone  
and though you're still with me  
I've been alone all along 

  
"Here's another one."  
  
o fortuna  
Velut luna  
  
Turn around and smell what you don't see  
Close your eyes ... it is so clear  
Here's the mirror, behind there is a screen  
On both ways you can get in  
  
Don't think twice before you listen to your heart  
Follow the trace for a new start  
  
What you need and everything you'll feel  
Is just a question of the deal  
In the eye of storm you'll see a lonely dove  
The experience of survival is the key  
To the gravity of love  
  
o fortuna  
Velut luna  
  
The path of excess leads to  
The tower of wisdom  
  
The path of excess leads to  
The tower of wisdom  
  
Try to think about it ...  
That's the chance to live your life and discover  
What it is, what's the gravity of love  
  
o fortuna  
Velut luna  
  
Look around just people, can you hear their voice  
Find the one who'll guide you to the limits of your choice  
  
But if you're in the eye of storm  
Just think of the lonely dove  
The experience of survival is the key  
To the gravity of love.  
  
o fortuna  
Velut luna  
  
"There's a bunch of poems here too. Here's one:"  
  
I look at the ocean and think of you,  
of all the ways you changed my life.  
All the things I always accepted,  
you showed me they didn't have to be.  
I was to die, one way or another,  
whether it be along the way or at the end.  
But you saved me, you saved Spira,  
but I wonder if it was worth it.  
Your life for mine,  
you died, while I breathe on.  
Was it worth it?  
I never really got to tell you how I felt,  
how much you meant to me.  
Only one night I got to hold and kiss you,  
but I want more, to do so oh so much more.  
But you're gone, and even though Sin is gone,  
and Spira is free forever, I wonder  
Was it worth it?  
  
He tried not to smile or blush at the slight sexual innuendo. "She really... missed me, didn't she?" Tidus said. Lulu just nodded. "We have to find her!" he declared, pumping his fist into the air.  
  
"Is there anything else in the box?" Wakka asked.  
  
He dug down into the bottom. "Nothing..."  
  
"Hey, let me see that," Rikku said. Tidus handed it over, wondering what she could possibly want with it. "Umm... Yeah, here it is!"  
  
"But there was nothing else in there," he objected. She set the box on the floor and demonstrated the hidden compartment in the bottom. "How did you know that was there?" he asked, completely amazed.  
  
"All girls hide stuff like that," she said, not thinking anything of it.  
  
"She hides things from her best friends and guardians? Wakka asked, disappointed. Rikku just shrugged.  
  
"Girls weird," Kimahri said.  
  
Lulu took the page from Rikku. Continuing from what she remembered of the first page, she read, "They will go after the person the spell was cast on if 'it's a powerful black magic spell that only extremely strong creatures could survive. Contrarily, if it's a spell that takes more power from the spell caster, then it will go after them instead. These fiends can sense great uses of power all over Spira from their dank caves, and emerge to capture the entity and drain it.' It has some more, mostly what we already know. It can make itself slightly out of phase of this dimension, so physical attacks don't affect it. It reflects magical attacks, like we saw. Also has an affinity for the dark."  
  
"Drain it...?" Rikku asked, voicing all their thoughts for them. The page's words sent a chill through them all. What would happen to Yuna if they couldn't find her in time?  
  
"Where could she be?" Wakka wondered, feeling even more desperate than when they had first discovered her disappearance.  
  
"It says they live in a dank cave. Probably dark," Lulu said.  
  
"The Sunken Cave outside the Calm Lands?" Tidus suggested.  
  
"With all those pyreflies it sure isn't very dark," Rikku commented.  
  
"Omega Ruins," Lulu stated, as if it was the undeniable truth.  
  
"Is that your humble opinion?" Wakka asked.  
  
"It's the only place that fits. And strong fiends do like it there," she said, ignoring his obvious sarcasm.  
  
"Let's go!" Tidus exclaimed and ran for the door.  
  
Kimahri slammed the door shut with one hand. "Fiend strong. We fight, we die," he said.  
  
"You don't have to say it like that," Rikku complained. "You shouldn't be such a pessimist."  
  
"He's right. Our normal tactics are no good, we'll have to think of another way," Lulu said.  
  
"But we don't have time to think. Yunie could die!"  
  
"Lulu, you said it can control whether it is immune to physical attacks or not? Maybe by default it isn't, and it just shifts when it gets attacked?" Tidus asked.  
  
"Maybe... why?"  
  
"If we could sneak up on it, take it by surprise, maybe we could hurt it!"  
  
"That'd just be one hit. I think it's going to take a little more than that to kill it, ya?" Wakka said.  
  
"We don't need to kill it, just distract it long enough to rescue Yuna. We can kill it later," Tidus said.  
  
"We'll be no use to her dead, and it isn't just going to go running. We need some sort of defense," Lulu said.  
  
"Why don't you look through the spell book on the way there? Maybe you can find something small that can put a dent in it," Tidus suggested.  
  
"Isn't that what got us in trouble in the first place?" Wakka groaned.  
  
"We don't have much of a choice, really. We can't just leave her there," Lulu said.   
  
"Yeah, she's right. Now let's go!" Rikku said and bolted out the door before anybody could stop her with Tidus on his heels. The rest knew there was no point in debating further and followed them.   


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Rikku shuddered. "This place is dark and dank, all right!"  
  
"Gives you the creeps, ya?" Wakka agreed.  
  
"Afraid?" Lulu teased.  
  
"Of course not. I was just comforting Rikku," he explained in a hurry.  
  
"I'm sure you were," Lulu said.  
  
"Let's just rescue Yuna and get out of here," Tidus said.  
  
"But where is she?" Rikku wondered aloud. Nobody had the answer, so they just walked, hoping for some sort of clue. Lulu was flipping through the old spell book, but time had faded its text and yellowed the pages, and with the dim light, she had a hard time discerning anything at all.  
  
Rikku stopped walking and looked up. Wakka had to take hold of Lulu's shoulder to keep her from walking off. "Hmm," Rikku said. "That's not a real wall."  
  
"Huh?" Tidus asked. "Where?" She pointed at the rocky wall above the entrance to a long hallway.  
  
"What gives you that idea?" Lulu asked, finally looking up from the book at following Rikku's gaze. "Looks real to me." She Rikku picked up a nearby rock and threw it, and it went right through the "wall."  
  
"Whoa!" Tidus said.  
  
"How'd you know that?" Lulu asked.  
  
She just shrugged. "We found a machina that did something similar awhile back."  
  
"How do we get up there, though? It's pretty high, eh?" Wakka wondered.  
  
"Kimahri lift," Kimahri offered.  
  
"Yeah! That sounds like a great idea!" Rikku said.  
  
Kimahri lifted up Lulu first, and while he had her on his shoulders Tidus accidentally (or maybe not-so-accidentally) peeked up her skirt. Rikku elbowed him in the chest.  
  
"Hey!" Tidus complained.  
  
"We're supposed to be saving your girlfriend remember?" Rikku teased.  
  
"I wasn't doing anything." Tidus assured her. Rikku gave him a disbelieving look. "I wasn't!"  
  
Lulu pulled herself up. "Me next, me next!" Rikku cried. Kimahri lifted her slight frame with ease. "Eek! Don't drop me! Ah!"  
  
"I don't think Kimahri would do that, Rikku," Tidus said and laughed in spite of the situation.  
  
"It isn't funny!" she yelled at him while clutching onto Kimahri.  
  
"Rikku... hold... too tight... Kimahri... can't breathe..." Kimahri said. Somehow he managed to get her up, then lifted Tidus and Wakka. He tried to jump up himself but couldn't make it.  
  
"We can't leave you behind!" Rikku said to him.  
  
"Yuna need rescuing. Go!" Kimahri instructed.  
  
"But the fiends! They're so powerful!" Rikku insisted. Kimahri simply stood there, facing away, ignoring her completely. "No use in arguing with a Ronso, I guess," she muttered.  
  
"Everyone, stay quiet. We don't want them to hear us coming," Lulu whispered. Tidus nodded in obedience and Rikku made a zipping gesture over her mouth. The tunnel they were in was dark, even compared to the rest of Omega Ruins. It was also cramped, so they had to line up, with a solitaire person in front. Wakka took the role, after several protests from Lulu and Tidus. With nothing but the occasional torch on the wall lighting their way, they pressed forward. Suddenly Wakka stopped, causing everybody behind him to nearly trip.  
  
"What is it?" Lulu asked.  
  
"It's one of those fiends!" he replied in whisper. "Look like it's sleeping or something. You said we could sneak up on it, right?"  
  
"Yes, but--" Lulu started, but never got the chance to finish, as Wakka was already throwing his blitzball at it. "It'd be better if we snuck around it," she muttered. The fiend cried in pain and turned to face them.  
  
"What'd you say, Lu?" Wakka asked.  
  
Before Lulu got the chance to reply, Rikku said, "She said you shouldn't have woken it up!"  
  
"Heh, heh. Whoops," Wakka said.  
  
"We don't have time for this! Let's just run," Tidus suggested.  
  
"Sounds like an idea to me!" Rikku agreed and ran for it. The beast promptly jumped in her way and slashed at her, although she managed to evade it. "Okay, that didn't work. New plan!"  
  
"Lulu, did you find anything in that book?" Tidus asked. She shook her head. Even though she had found some that might have worked, she wasn't powerful enough to perform them. "Then we'll have to do it a different way. You three distract it."  
  
"What are you going to do?" Rikku asked.  
  
"Just do it, I'll take care of the rest." he said, and slunk off into the shadows.  
  
"He's gone crazy, ya?" Wakka said.  
  
"What, don't think he can handle it?" Lulu said. "Or afraid you'll be outdone?"  
  
"Hah! As if he could outdo me. I'll take down this fiend before he gets the chance!" Wakka assured her. Lulu gestured for him to do as much and they both got into a battle stance.  
  
Rikku climbed onto a small boulder and waved her arms in the air, "Hey you, over here!"  
  
"She's gone crazy, too," Wakka moaned. Lulu surrounded the fiend with Fire spells.   
  
Rikku was still yelling at the fiend. "Yeah, I'm talking to you, you ugly little thing! Oh, you think you're sooo tough, do you? We could kick your butt any day, you know!"  
  
"And your mother's, too!" Wakka chimed in without thinking. "Did I really say that?" he asked himself.   
  
Lulu laughed at their childishness. "You _can_ say "ass," Rikku. We're all adults here." She looked over at Wakka. "Well, almost all of us." For some reason they were all confident of their victory, in spite of their past lack of success. They always were in battles, she remembered. The fiend took a step forward and she zapped the ground in front of it with a swift swing of her arm, and it began to think twice about advancing. She smiled smugly to herself. "Easy. This fiend might be tough but it's hardly smart," she said, referring to it not realizing its ability to reflect magic.  
  
Rikku was still going on with her ridiculing, obviously having not done it since she was 8. "I bet you can't tell a square from a circle, and... and... you smell funny!"  
  
"Yeah, don't you ever shower?" He pinched his nose and waved his other arm in front of his face dramatically. All of the sudden he felt rather silly. Yelling lame insults about "kicking it and it's mother's butt" wasn't really going to affect it, was it? But sure enough, the fiend was staring down Rikku, like a high school bully ready to pummel a freshman.  
  
Rikku saw it eyeing her, too. "Uh oh... help!" Rikku clambered down the rock and was picking through her items, looking for something to throw.  
  
"Take that!" Tidus yelled from the other side of the cavern as he hit the demon repeatedly, catching it completely off guard. It wailed in pain and slashed him across the midsection. He groaned and fell to the ground.  
  
"Rikku, a Phoenix Down!" Lulu called to her.  
  
She pulled one out of her pocket but it slipped through her fingers and smashed into the ground. "Oh no! That was the last one!"  
  
"The last one? We're doomed..." Wakka said. The fiend inched towards them, slowly pushing them back. Wakka bounced the ball near it but it took no notice. Lulu tried a Blizzard spell to repel it, but to no avail. They were forced to retreat until Rikku's fingertips felt the cold wall behind her. As cold as her seemingly inevitable fate. Somehow the battle had turned from a good time to a hopeless cause in the blink of an eye.  
  
"We're cornered. What are we going to do?" she sobbed. With a wave of what appeared to be some form of an arm, the fiend cast a spell none of them recognized. A shadow darker than night fell upon the three of them, and they heard screams of people being tortured. Which ones were from the spell and which ones were their own they couldn't tell. As it dissipated, Rikku fell to her knees, barely able to endure such pain. Wakka leaned against the wall, eyes closed, struggling to stay conscious. Lulu managed to stay standing, although she was slouching a bit and tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. She blinked them away and cast Thundara at the monster's feet. It ignored the spell, obviously realizing it was impervious to her magic. It hit her, but it did little more than knock her into Wakka, who caught her and didn't let her fall to the ground.  
  
"Tidus!" a voice called from the other side of the room.  
  
"Yuna?" Lulu said. "Run, this place isn't safe. You'll be killed!" Paying no mind to Lulu, Yuna cast Full-Life on Tidus and surveyed the room. Her eyes fell onto her friends and noticed their poor condition, so she cast Curaga onto all three.  
  
"Hey, thanks," Tidus told her while trying to stand on his still wobbly feet.   
  
The fiend noticed her presence and made its way to her position. Thoughts raced through Yuna's mind as the shadow approached fast. With no time to cast Reflect and use magic against it that way, she once again checked her surroundings for anything useful. She spotted a shiny area on the wall, gleaming like well-polished silver, even in the low light. *That should do,* she thought. She cast Holy towards the spot on the wall, and it bounced off and pounded the fiend with several balls of holy light. Lulu followed suit and cast Flare. The spells were enough to send the fiend off howling in pain, a sound which hurt all of their ears and chilled them down to their very soul.  
  
"Let's get out of here," Tidus said. He looked over to Yuna just in time to see her collapse.  
  
"Yunie!" Rikku cried. Tidus picked her up off the ground and wasted no time getting back to the entrance. Wakka jumped and grabbed a torch off the wall and led the way. Rikku rushed after them and Lulu took the back, ready to fend off anything that tried to follow.  
  
Kimahri saw them approaching, "Yuna?"  
  
"She's here, but she's unconscious," Lulu informed him. Kimahri helped everybody down until there was only Tidus and Yuna remaining.  
  
Tidus leaned over the edge, still holding Yuna. "Can you catch her?" Kimahri nodded in affirmation and Tidus gently dropped her into his strong arms, cringing even though he knew Kimahri wouldn't let her be hurt. He took a deep breath and jumped down, thankfully not harmed by the drop. They all hurried for the exit, eager to get back to Besaid and heal Yuna.  
  
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Kimahri laid Yuna on the couch and Tidus rushed to her side and took her hand in his. All of this was because of him, he knew. If she had never met him she would be perfectly healthy and happy. But why was he beating himself up over this? It wasn't his fault. All he wanted -- all they _both_ wanted -- was to be together. Why did it have to be so hard? He would kill this thing standing in their way, and everything and body else who tried.  
  
Lulu's mind was wandering in the most unusual way... she should be focused on Yuna, she kept telling herself, but it was no use. She kept remembering how Wakka caught her in Omega Ruins, and held her to keep her from falling, even though he could barely hold himself up. It was so gentle and caring... Why couldn't she get it out of her mind? It was_ Wakka _for crying out loud! He was pathetic and soft and immature, and... and... always whining about this or that... but those arms of his were so muscular.. Agh! Lulu shook her head to try to rid herself of such disturbing thoughts.  
  
Whether it would have been a relief or a disappointment to Lulu, Wakka had Yuna on his mind instead. Not in a romantic way, he just couldn't stop thinking about how powerful she had become. When they had started out, she knew a couple curing spells, which she couldn't even do all that well. She was innocent, shy, unknowing of most things. The Yuna that had strode out and rescued them, who was on top of everything as if it was nothing, while they were cowering against a wall -- that was a different Yuna. Wakka was proud, yet... worried. He liked the harmless Yuna, and now she couldn't seem to handle her own strength.  
  
Rikku fidgeted uncomfortably, it was far too silent for her tastes. When she couldn't stand it any longer, she got up and said, "I'll go get a potion. Maybe that'll wake her up." She ran off to the kitchen to find one, which was soon followed by a crash and the sound "Whoops!"  
  
Lulu shook her head in exasperation... the way she had always shook it at Wakka in the past, she remembered. Wanting to get away from everybody before they realized what she was thinking about, she said, "I better go check on her, make sure she doesn't blow the house up or something."  
  
Wakka just nodded his head in acknowledgment as she scampered off. Tidus cupped Yuna's cheek with his free hand. He stroked her warm and soft skin lightly with his thumb. Her breathing was returning to normal, compared to how shallow and slow it had been before, but yet he was still worried. A solitary tear slid silently down his cheek. "Please come back to me," he whispered.  
  
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Wow, how sad. I can't believe I did that. On the up side, it sure is fun watching Lulu freak out over her crush... hehe! If you guys aren't big Wakka/Lulu fans then just say so and I'll drop it. Anyway... fanfiction.net appears to be down at the moment, so I can't look up your reviews to reply to them, and knowing me I'll forget to edit this before I upload it. Just in case I do, let me say this: Thanks to everybody who has read this, especially the reviewers. Your words are a great encouragement to me, I'm really not sure I would have made it this far without you. And a special thanks to those of you who have contacted me through email and AIM... it really means a lot to me that you would go through so much trouble! Any of you who would like to be notified by email when a new chapter is up, just email me... address is in my profile. Well, thanks for reading, hope to see you review soon!   
  
Oh yeah, the first song is My Immortal by Evanescence and the second is Gravity of Love by Enigma. Both are great songs, listen to them if you can!  
  
Anyway, fanfiction.net is finally back up so here are the review replies that I promised:  
  
Sauratos: Hehe, I know she can't summon aeons, that's why she hasn't. Glad you like it!  
  
Shadowsnake7: After reading this, did you change your mind? Lol.. I was a bit mean to her in this one... Shame on me! I hope you continue to enjoy the story.  
  
Kurai Yume: Thanks a lot!!! I will finish this story, don't worry! Maybe I'll slip in a bit (or a lot) of romance for you next chapter.;)  
  
Ars Arcanum: Your review is thanks enough. Wow, I do feel honored.. all that trouble just for me! Have I scared you enough here as well?  
  
Devie Saves: That's the idea! I won't give up, thanks for your support!  
  
AnImEfReAk34: I'm... uh... glad you think so?  
  
Sauratos: Yes master, as you wish. 


	8. Suteki Da Ne

Hehe, sorry, took me longer to update than I thought! This chapter is over twice as long as my longest one, so it should make up for it! Besides it just taking awhile to write, there have been a few things distracting me... like Runescape... bad, bad game, far too addicting! Well here it is, enjoy, I know I did!  
  
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Tidus leaned over Yuna and gave her a soft kiss on the lips... a pleading sort of kiss, begging her to wake up. He squeezed her hand and stared off into the distance, musing over different ways to kill the fiend that had put her in danger.  
  
"Hey, looks like it worked, ya?" Wakka said. Tidus looked down at Yuna and saw her eyelids fluttering.  
  
Darkness surrounded Yuna and she was desperately trying to fight it off. Where was she, and what were they doing to her? She felt a hand close tightly around her own and pushed it away with all her might. "Get off of me! Get away!" she cried in her semiconscious state.  
  
Tidus fell over, half from her push and half from pure surprise. "Yuna, it's me." He laced his fingers through hers and gripped her firmly, yet tenderly. She continued to struggle, not knowing where she was or who she was with. She managed to get a hand free and scratched him.  
  
"Let her go brudda, she's going to hurt you," Wakka told Tidus.  
  
Tidus grabbed her hand again. "No, if I do she might hurt herself. Just wait." He turned back to Yuna and said in a comforting voice, "Yuna, it's okay. Shh, it's just me."  
  
Yuna's struggles died down and she blinked away the darkness at last. She looked around, her eyes still a bit blurry, and found Tidus' face. "Tidus." Her eyes traced the room, slowly recognizing her surroundings. "Besaid." She looked relieved, almost as relieved as Tidus.  
  
"Oh thank goodness you're okay." He hugged her tight. "You are okay, right?"  
  
"I thought we told you not to do that again, ya?" Wakka scolded.  
  
"I'm sorry," she apologized, not sure what she was sorry for, or even sure she was really okay.  
  
Rikku rushed in holding a bottle in her hand. Lulu was carrying some shards of broken glass, not far behind "I got the pot-- Yunie! You're awake!" She ran over and hugged her. "Yunie? Are you all right? You look kind of funny." Lulu was kneeling by the couch beside Tidus, running her fingers over Yuna's hair.  
  
"I -I, think so. Yes, I'm fine," she assured them.  
  
Tidus could tell she was distressed just by looking at her. "She just needs some air. You guys are crowding her too much."  
  
They all quickly backed off (except Tidus) and Yuna breathed a little sigh of relief. Rikku noticed Tidus hadn't moved even though he was the one saying they should back off. What made him so special? She tried not to be upset, she was glad Yunie was okay and all, but she _was_ her cousin after all. She pushed the pang of jealousy away, trying to remember that Yuna's well being was what was important.  
  
Yuna was absently running her fingers along Tidus' hand and arm and saw the long scratches she had inflicted. "You're hurt."  
  
He looked down. "Oh, that's nothing. I'll be fine. Don't worry about it."  
  
"Looks like somebody's fingernails did it," she commented.  
  
Not wanting her to feel guilty, he tried to think of an explanation. "Well, uh, you know, it's no big deal. I'm such a klutz, you know, and--"  
  
"I did it, didn't I?" she interrupted.  
  
"You didn't mean to. Don't worry about it, Yuna," he assured her.  
  
"Let me heal it," she offered, and raised her hand to case Cure.  
  
Lulu jumped in. "Don't Yuna. You need your strength."  
  
"But--"  
  
"She's right. Rikku, where's that potion?" Tidus questioned.  
  
"Oh!" Rikku rummaged in her pockets, having put it away when she noticed Yuna was awake. "Here it is."  
  
Tidus poured a bit onto the scratch and it healed most of the way. "See? No problem."  
  
Yuna nodded even though she could still see a faded mark. If she had done it, that wouldn't be there. Deciding to change she subject, she asked, "How did you find me?"  
  
"We found that page you ripped from the book hidden in the bottom of that box in your room," Wakka told her.  
  
"I found," Rikku corrected.  
  
"You went through my things?" Yuna questioned.  
  
"They found," Rikku said, changing her mind about wanting the credit.  
  
"We only did what we had to," Lulu said.  
  
"Yeah! If you hadn't been hiding it from us in the first place we wouldn't of had to go looking for it," Wakka complained, still hurt that she didn't trust him.  
  
Tidus jumped to her defense. "Hey, hey. Leave her alone. We did what we had to and she did what she had to."  
  
"Yeah, but--" Wakka started.  
  
"Enough. It doesn't matter now, does it?" Lulu told them all in a "drop it or learn what a black mage really is" tone of voice.  
  
"You didn't... read anything else in there... did you?" Yuna asked tentatively. If Tidus had read that poem...  
  
"You mean that one poem where you said you wanted to--" Rikku began before Tidus clamped a hand over her mouth.  
  
"We just glanced through it," Tidus lied. Yuna's cheeks turned bright red and she couldn't even look Tidus in the eye.  
  
"I think-- I think I'm going to rest upstairs," she said and stood up, ready to rush away, but Tidus picked her up in his arms.  
  
"No you don't. You need to take it easy, remember? That means no stair climbing," Tidus scolded her with a grin.  
  
She playfully pounded him with her fists. "Put me down!"   
  
"No way," he said while shaking his blonde hair.  
  
Yuna feigned a distressed look, which wasn't very convincing with all her giggling. "Won't any of you help me?"  
  
Rikku laughed at her and shook her head. "We've saved you enough for one day!"  
  
"Put Yuna down," Kimahri said. Ronso always were a bit on the serious side.  
  
Tidus pouted but knew better than to challenge Kimahri. "Well, okay..."  
  
"Maybe you could put me down upstairs?" Yuna suggested and Tidus' grin came right back.  
  
"Ooh lala!" Rikku teased.  
  
"Upstairs we go!" Tidus exclaimed and carried Yuna up the stairs, her giggling all the way.  
  
Rikku laughed. "They sure are happy together."  
  
Her companions nodded in agreement. It was true, they had never seen her so carefree or happy before. She had always been so formal and proper, never sad or angry, but never really happy either. Tidus brought out a completely new side of her. Wakka looked at the glass still in Lulu's hands. "What'd she break?" he asked.  
  
Lulu looked down and realized what he was talking about. "Just a few potions. We can buy more, but it does need to be cleaned up." She got up to take care of it but Wakka stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"I'll do it. You look stressed, maybe you should take it easy, ya?" Wakka told her.  
  
"If you want," she replied. Lulu watched him head to the kitchen with an uncharacteristic, almost daydreaming look in her eyes.  
  
"He's kind of cute, isn't he?" Rikku commented.  
  
"What?" Lulu asked in disbelief.  
  
"He's too old for me, you know, but still cute. Don't you think so?"  
  
"You'd have to be out of your mind. He's so boyish, he'll never grow up. And that _hair_..." Lulu complained.  
  
"I like his hair. Hey.." she said as if she had just realized something and put her finger to her chin in a thoughtful manner. "You like him, don't you?"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous!" Lulu said, now angered.  
  
Rikku's eyes went wide. "You do! You have a crush on Wa--" Just then Wakka walked in and Lulu gave Rikku the coldest stare that only she could give.  
  
"What are you guys talkin' about?" he asked.  
  
Rikku started to say something but Lulu mouthed "Thundaga" at her and she promptly shut her mouth as all the color drained from her face. "N-nothing!" Lucky for her, Wakka wasn't very perceptive, or "a bit lacking in the imagination department" as Lulu had put it, so he just shrugged it off. Lulu sat back with a smug smile, pleased with her cover up.  
  
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Tidus dropped Yuna onto her soft bed and collapsed next to her. "You're heavier than you look!" he complained, breathing hard. She giggled and turned on her side to face him.  
  
"I'm not that heavy," she insisted and poked him in the side, "Maybe you're just out of shape."  
  
"Me? I defeated strong fiends, a maestor -- four times! --" he stood up now, flexing his arm muscles for effect, " and the all powerful Sin!"  
  
This sent Yuna into a fit of laughter. He looked so silly, prancing around, showing off like that! She just laughed and laughed, enjoying the bliss and complete freedom she now had. She had never laughed so hard in her life.  
  
Tidus looked down at her and frowned. "What's so funny?" He had to wonder if she had completely lost it.  
  
"It's just... you... when..." She managed to say between bursts of laughter and gulps of air, but quickly gave up the hopeless cause.   
  
He plopped down next to her, mocking offense. "Don't think I'm tough?"  
  
She somehow managed not to laugh more at this. It wasn't that she thought he was a wuss, it was just she had always cherished how gentle he could be, and the two characteristics clashed. Besides, compared to Wakka and Kimahri -- or even the now sent Auron -- he wasn't all that tough. It wasn't really all that funny, she just enjoyed being able to laugh -- really laugh -- that much. Her laughter died down and she smiled at him. "You're wonderful," she assured him.  
  
"Hmm. Now I'm not so sure." He scratched his chin thoughtfully.  
  
Yuna picked up a pillow and whacked him with it. "You are!" He picked up the other pillow and tried to hit her back, but she dodged it and jumped off the bed.  
  
"Hey!" Tidus chased her to the other side of the room. "I thought I told," he grabbed her around the waist, "you to," and tackled her back onto the bed, "take it easy!"  
  
She giggled again. They sure weren't going to get much rest like this! He was still on top of her, having not moved after he tackled her. Yuna smiled and ran her fingers through his hair. Nothing could ever take him away again, nothing. She wouldn't let it, no matter what the cost.  
  
Tidus watched her smile fade as her mind wandered. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I was just... thinking..." she explained, not really explaining anything.  
  
He cocked his head and grinned at her. "You think too much."  
  
"Hm." She nodded and smiled back. "You're right." She stared into his eyes. It was so easy not to think then, just to get lost, lost in those clear, blue eyes... He was looking back into her own eyes, one blue, one green. Suddenly they were lost in each other, wanting nothing more than to be together, just to hold each other, kiss each other. Tidus leaned down to do just that and Yuna's lip quivered, nervous for some reason, unbeknownst to even her. Just being close to him did that to her... it was as if the world was perfect, but yet it was nothing she had ever expected, or even hoped, to have. Her whole life she had planned to defeat Sin and give her life in the process. There had never been the time, nor the need for romance. But Tidus... he made it all different.. He gave her the chance to live a life she never knew she wanted, a life she had only longed for around him. The unfamiliarity of such a future made her nervous, but she was more afraid of giving into it and then losing everything than anything else. But now his lips were touching hers, brushing against them ever so softly, and it was far too late to turn back. She put her arms around his neck and let out a contented sigh. He traced the seam on her dress with his finger.. how beautiful she was. Yuna gripped the front of his shirt and pulled him closer, not wanting an inch of space between them, and pulled the sheet over them. 

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Yuna awoke with Tidus sleeping beside her, still gripping her tightly. She gently pulled his hands away from her waist, hoping not to wake him up and put on a sheer nightgown that was near the bed. It was something she would never wear in the daylight or in front of her friends, but all young girls have their secret pleasures. It was just about her only one.... until now. She glanced back at her sleeping lover, now sprawled out across her bed. He never had been formal or proper, or conformed to anything. It even showed in how he slept, and she couldn't help but laugh softly, even though she had always admired the trait, in a way. What must it be like to not care what anybody thinks? She supposed he never had to in Zanarkand, being a famous blitzball player. The fans would love anything he did. Her light feet didn't make a sound as she walked to the window, wondering if he still missed his home. The light breeze blew her hair and the salty air from the sea smelled good. There was the slightest sliver of a moon, it's light reflecting off the tallest parts of the waves just before they crumbled on the shore before them. The moon's return after the pitch black night where she had danced in the water seemed a promise of better things to come. The moon always faded and reappeared, like the waves that always crashed after reaching their most glorious moment had another close behind. Always the cycles, everything fell after it rose, and rose after it fell, cycles which could not be stopped. But nothing is impossible, she reminded herself. Everybody thought Sin's rebirth was eternal, but they had ended that. How many more truths would they destroy in the future? But for the first time in as long as she could remember, she wasn't worried. Spira's fate, the fiend that had attacked, none of these thoughts troubled her. Things would come and they would deal with them, just as they always had. Somehow she was convinced everything would be fine... amazing what a night with Tidus could do for her perspective on life. She looked over again and saw the slightest mark on his arm, leftover from the scratch she had inflicted earlier. One little spell wouldn't hurt, would it? She cast a small curing spell and the mark disappeared. A shiver raced through her body but she dismissed it to the wind. Her blonde companion stirred.  
  
"Yuna?" he called and reached for her, finding nothing but air. "Yuna!" He jumped up and grabbed his sword, ready to slash whoever had taken her this time. Laughter drifted from the other side of the room.  
  
How ridiculous he looked! His hair was a mess and he was only wearing boxers, yet he was about to jump on an unseen evil. She walked over to him and wrapped a bit of his hair around her finger to examine it. "And you all teased me about my bed hair!" Tidus chuckled and reached for a comb. "No, leave it. I like it," Yuna said. There was something endearing about his disheveled appearance, it was so much truer than the fancied version most people wore of themselves during the day.  
  
His eyes took in her own appearance. "Nice outfit," he remarked. She looked down and smoothed it self consciously. Tidus pulled her close and whispered to her, "We should get back in bed. You'll be cold in that and you need your rest." She lay her head against his chest for a moment, breathing in his aroma and feeling the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed before doing as he suggested. He followed, never letting go of her hand and slipped his arms back around her waist before dozing off to sleep. 

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Lulu glanced impatiently up the stairs. "It's nearly midday and they're still asleep."  
  
Rikku leaned back against the couch. "I wonder what they did last night to make them so tired?" she joked.  
  
"You aren't suggesting..." Lulu trailed off.  
  
"You know how they are together." Rikku made kissing noises to make sure her point was clear.  
  
"Yuna wouldn't.. would she..?" Lulu asked, now uncertain.  
  
"I was just joking. You shouldn't worr--" she started but stopped when she saw Lulu was already halfway up the stairs. "Lulu, wait!"  
  
"Tidus!" Lulu yelled.   
  
He wouldn't dare  
"Tidus!!"  
  
do that, not to her  
"You better be dressed when I get up there!"  
  
innocent, little Yuna. She slammed the door open and it banged against the wall loudly.  
  
Rikku rushed in after her, trying desperately to restrain her. "I think we should just go dow--" Lulu tossed a thunderbolt her way and she shrieked and huddled in the corner of the room. Tidus was just beginning to wake up and Yuna was still fast asleep.  
  
"What the?" Tidus asked when he saw Lulu in a rage. She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the bed. "Hey! Watch it!"  
  
Lulu scrutinized his attire. "Just boxers?" she asked with a stare that was just daring him to think up an excuse.  
  
"Yeah, well, what's it to you?" _Wrong answer_.  
  
Just as she was ready to perform some heavy black magic on the defenseless boy, Wakka burst in behind them. "What's going on? I heard yelling. Rikku, are you okay?" he asked when he found her curled up in a ball in a corner.  
  
"Mmm," came a groggy moan from the bed. Yuna opened her eyes to find the entire gang in her bedroom. Even Kimahri was there, standing in the doorway, just watching as he always did. "What are you all doing in here?" she asked, somewhat embarrassed by being found in bed with Tidus.  
  
Wakka took one look at Lulu and said, "Looks like somebody is about to get fried." Yuna gave him a pleading look, begging him to find a way to calm Lulu down. "Hey, um, Lu?"  
  
She turned around to look him in the eye and her cold stare nearly sent him running then and there. "Yes?"  
  
"Maybe we should... uh.. let him get dressed and give him a chance to explain?" Wakka suggested.  
  
Lulu looked back to Tidus, who was just getting around to getting off the floor. "Fine. Get dressed.." She tossed his clothes and him and he sat down on the bed to pull his pants on. "Outside!" she boomed. He jumped at her voice and quickly gathered up the clothes and ran outside the room. After Lulu, Wakka and Kimahri left Yuna got out of bed and put on her dress. She was just about to go downstairs and make sure Lulu hadn't killed Tidus when she heard whimpering coming from the corner of her room.  
  
"Rikku?" Rikku was still huddled against the wall, shaking. Yuna crouched down in front of her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Rikku, are you okay?" There was no response as far as she could tell. She waved her hand in front of Rikku's face, hoping to get rid of the glazed look in her cousin's wide, green eyes. Running out of ideas, she picked up a glass of water on her nightstand and dumped it on her.  
  
"Hey! You big meanie!" Rikku jumped up and tried to shake the water off of her hair.  
  
Yuna laughed. "I had to do something, you were in complete shock."  
  
"You didn't have to do it like that, you know."  
  
Yuna hugged her to make up for it. It was always a good way to calm her down. "Lulu hit you with a lightning bolt, didn't she?"  
  
Rikku nodded. "She was really upset! I've never seen her like that. She's usually so mature and calm."  
  
"Usually. But when something angers her..." Yuna said and laughed a little. "I remember when I was little and had recently come to Besaid. Between my father's.. death, and a town I had never seen before, I was pretty scared. Lulu had given me one of her stuffed dolls, a chocobo, to comfort me. I was outside holding it tight and this big boy came up and took it from me. He kept taunting me, holding it just out of my reach! I was near tears when Lulu came outside, raging like a storm. By the time she was done the boy was ghost white and shaking like a leaf, begging for my forgiveness!" Lulu really always had been a big sister to her, always looking out for her, even when she didn't think she needed it. Even now.  
  
"We better go downstairs then, who knows what she'll do to Tidus!" Rikku exclaimed and ran out the door, with Yuna close behind.  
  
Tidus was fully dressed now, sitting on the couch. Lulu was standing impatiently, casting glares at Tidus every now and then. Kimahri almost seemed to be enjoying the scene but Wakka was beginning to look desperate. "'Bout time you two came down here, ya?" he said, relieved to have backup.  
  
"Sorry Wakka," Yuna apologized. "Lulu..?" Yuna was the only person Lulu was never really harsh to, sometimes she was even gentle. Even so, she was a bit nervous about directing Lulu's wrath her way.  
  
"What were you doing in that bed together?" Lulu asked.  
  
"We were.. sleeping. I just didn't want him far away is all." It wasn't really a lie, they had slept, and she hadn't wanted him out of her reach, but it wasn't the whole truth either.  
  
"Sleeping?" Lulu asked with an eyebrow raised. Yuna nodded, hoping she would drop the matter. Lulu instead turned to Tidus, asking for his confirmation with a glare.  
  
"Don't look at me," he protested. Trying to change the subject, he said, "We should be focusing on a way to defeat the fiend that kidnapped Yuna."  
  
Wakka decided this was his opportunity to help. "He's right, this can wait. Yuna's safety is most important, ya?" Rikku nodded enthusiastically in agreement.  
  
Yuna's well-being was the reason she had brought up the topic up in the first place, but she could see she was outnumbered. She would quiz Yuna alone about it later, she decided. "Magic seems to be its only weakness. Everyone will have to learn some spells if we are to kill it."  
  
"Ooh! I've always wanted to be able to set things on fire!" Rikku said and imitated Lulu's spell casting gesture at a vase, although it didn't actually catch fire, of course.  
  
"I was thinking Thunder would be a better choice," Lulu said.  
  
Rikku paled. "But why?"  
  
"It's the element it seemed to dislike the most. Perhaps it will be good for you to learn to control your fear."  
  
"Can I just avoid my fear instead? I'd really like that!"  
  
Lulu chuckled. "You'll see, once you get the hang of it. Come, I know where we can practice." She quickly gathered a few water glasses and pieces of fruit. Teaching them all black magic would take awhile, she knew.  
  
Once outside the door, Wakka asked, "Lu, where are we going?"  
  
"There." She pointed to the far end of the village.  
  
"But there's nothing but a big rock wall over there." Lulu just smirked, obviously knowing something he didn't, and led the way.  
  
As they walked, Rikku leaned over to Yuna. "Do you think there's any way I can get out of this?"  
  
Yuna laughed and shook her head. "When Lulu has her mind set, you don't stand much of a chance of deterring her."  
  
"That's what I thought," Rikku mumbled.  
  
"Maybe she'll teach you Water, too, then you can get back at all those lightning fiends," Yuna suggested.  
  
"Yeah!" Rikku exclaimed, back to her chipper self. "Thanks Yunie." Yuna just smiled at her, glad to have cheered her up.  
  
Up ahead, Tidus was pondering Lulu's earlier behavior. Why didn't she trust him with Yuna? Did she really think he would hurt her? How dare she, he would never do anything like that! Getting angry, he decided to ask her. "Lulu?"  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Why were you so upset earlier?"  
  
"I don't want to see Yuna get hurt," she said simply and sped up her pace, obviously having nothing more to say on the matter. Tidus, on the other hand, had other ideas. He jumped in front of her path, causing her to stop walking.  
  
"Why would you think I'd do that?" he demanded. "I wouldn't, not ever!"  
  
She stood looking at him. The boy sure had some nerve, talking to her like that. "You already have."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Do you think your leaving was easy for her? Do you know she couldn't even bring herself to eat, and barely spoke a word? Do you think that we couldn't all see her drowning in pain? Why do you think she was out in the sea that night?" Lulu said, letting out more emotional than she intended. She took a breathe and tried to put on a calm exterior. "I don't want to see her like that again." She started walking off again.  
  
"Hey! That wasn't my fault! I'm not leaving her, never."  
  
Lulu didn't even bother turning around to give him a final burn. "That's what you told her before you left, isn't it?" He let her walk away that time, not having anything to say.  
  
Yuna walked up behind him and took his hand. "It wasn't your fault."  
  
Tidus kicked at the dirt. "No, she's right. I promised you I would always be by your side then left you to think I was never coming back."  
  
"You're here now, are you not?" She smiled at him, trying to tell him it was okay. He smiled back and squeezed her hand.  
  
He looked up ahead. "We better catch up before we lose them."  
  
"Race you!" she called and took off running.  
  
"Hey, wait!" he called back and chased after her.  
  
Rikku walked slowly behind them, smiling at how happy they were, but a bit sad at the same time. She had never had somebody like that, somebody she could claim her own. She would never dream of taking Tidus away from Yuna, she had always been the independent type anyway, but now she wondered what she was missing out on. Even Wakka and Lulu seemed to be sharing something at the moment. Perhaps that was why she had really been jealous when Tidus pushed everybody aside when Yuna awoke, because nobody had ever done anything like that for her. Sure, all of the Al Bhed were like family to each other, but it wasn't the same as having somebody to yourself. Kimahri was the only person around, he always tended to stay in back so he could keep an eye on everything. Rikku elbowed him in the stomach. "Guess we're all alone then, huh?   
  
"Rikku never alone," Kimahri assured her, then added, "Unless Rikku keep walking slow." Realizing she had been left behind, Rikku ran after everybody else with Kimahri at a lazy trot behind her. 

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Wakka was far from the most perceptive person ever, but even he could tell that Lulu was still fuming. Something had really gotten to her, and he wondered what it was. "Lulu?"  
  
"Wakka?" she answered in a surprisingly civil manner.  
  
"What got you so worked up back there? We all want Yuna to be happy, but that was a bit harsh, ya?"  
  
"I remember.."  
  
"Ya?" he urged.  
  
"When... when Chappu died."  
  
"Oh. I'm sorry, Lu, I didn't mean to..." he trailed off, feeling guilty about bringing it up.  
  
"It hurt too much. I don't want Yuna to go through that."  
  
"Had me fooled, you never showed it. Not once have I seen you sad," Wakka said.  
  
"I had to look strong. It was the only way I could convince myself that I actually was." Why was she telling him all of this? She must be out of her mind, Wakka wouldn't want to hear about his dead brother, he missed Chappu, too. It was stupid and selfish and completely unlike her... But she couldn't help herself, she had kept everything to herself for so long, and now more than anything she just wanted to tell him everything.  
  
"Lu," Wakka said softly.  
  
"I wonder... if I'll ever find somebody like him again." Her voice had dropped to a whisper. He could never say he had never seen her upset again, because as much as she tried to shove it away, it was there and visible. He put his arm around her shoulder.  
  
"You will. I know you will."   
  
Before she could say anything a blonde boy running at full speed crashed into her and fell to the ground. Luckily she had Wakka for support or she would have done the same.  
  
"I beat you!" Tidus yelled to Yuna. She was breathing hard but was only seconds behind. Rikku wasn't far behind that but she didn't look tired... must be because she's always so energetic, Tidus thought to himself.  
  
"That's not fair!" Yuna said while gasping for breath.  
  
"Not fair? You had a head start!"  
  
"But you play blitzball, you're used to this!" she said and they both laughed at how ridiculous of an excuse it was.  
  
"Then I'll have to teach you sometime," he offered. Rikku pouted at being left out and he quickly added, "And Rikku too! Even Lulu can join." Lulu looked at him as if he was suggesting she go streaking or something equally offensive. "Or not, that's cool, too."  
  
They were now standing at the bottom of the rock wall Wakka had mentioned earlier. He pulled his arm away and gestured at the obstacle ahead. "So, Lu, what now?"  
  
"Let's see," she said and ran her fingers along the many vines at the base until she found a spot where the vines caved at her touch and exposed a narrow entryway. She pulled them to the side and gestured for them to enter.  
  
"Wow, how'd you find this place?" Rikku asked, her voice echoing in the small confines. Lulu followed them after they had all gone in and she let the vines fall back into place. It was much more open once they got inside, more than big enough for two people to stand side by side. The stone walls were smooth, appearing to have been sanded and polished until it was like marble. The ceiling was arced and high enough for even Kimahri to walk through without trouble. Green designs glowed on the slick walls, enveloping their faces with a low light and turning them an unnatural color. A soft sand covered the ground, several inches deep, comfortable to walk on even in bare feet. It looked as if somebody had spent quite a lot of time making the area perfect, but even Lulu didn't know who. She grabbed a candle laying on the floor and lit it with a match that was sitting beside it to help them see better.  
  
"Looks like you know your way around," Tidus commented. Instead of answering she slid past and led the way.  
  
She couldn't have answered if she wanted to. This was a place Chappu had shown her and they had spent so much time here. It was their secret escape from the world. She remembered the week before he had left to join the Crusaders they had been here, laughing more than she had ever laughed before. He had a handful of grapes with him and was trying to throw them into her mouth, but his aim was horrible and he never got a single one in. She teased him that his aim must be why the Aurochs always lost and he had threatened to tickle her in return. She had run all the way to the other end to escape him but it was of no use, he caught her anyway but decided to let her off the hook for once. He had warned her that he wouldn't let her off so easy next time... if only there had been a next time. Neither of them had known what was to come. As she walked, she ran her fingers in her free hand along the wall, letting the memories flow. Here was a scratch where Chappu had scraped the wall with a lantern. He had felt so guilty ruining the glassy finish that they decided to always use candles in the future to keep it from happening again. And here was the faintest scorch mark from when their candle had gone out and she tried lighting it again with a fire spell, but couldn't see well enough and missed. And then there was this... Chappu had decided that since they had already left marks of mishaps, they might as well balance it out by carving a heart with their initials. He had a strange kind of logic, but was so good at talking her into anything that she eventually agreed. It read "C & L," written from the top left of the heart to the bottom right. His handwriting had always been so sloppy and primitive, while her L was fancy and curved. They had carved the "&" together, both of their hands clasped over a sharp rock, and in result it was wobbly and nearly impossible to tell what it was... but she knew, and just thinking about it created a pang in her heart. She reached the end of the tunnel now, and sunlight shined from the hole high above. She saw in the ground the imprint of where her lost love had tackled her to the ground after teasing him about his aim, still there after all this time. Between the vines at the front and the long, narrow tunnel going straight up, not much wind -- or anything -- made it in. It was as if the tunnel was immune to the passage of time, nothing fading, every grain of sand remembering it's place, every scratch in the wall refusing to be rubbed away. She wiped the sand with her foot, erasing the imprint, not wanting to see any of it any longer.  
  
They all looked up. "We don't really have to climb that far, do we?" Rikku asked, oblivious to Lulu's thoughts.  
  
"It's not far," Lulu told her and blew out the candle before setting it on the ground. She had thought differently the first she had been here, even though she wasn't afraid of heights. Chappu had climbed up behind her, promising to catch her if she fell. She had slipped once or twice and he had kept his promise.  
  
"Why don't you go first then?" Rikku suggested.  
  
"If you go last, nobody will be there to catch you when you fall," Lulu said, quoting Chappu almost exactly. She never expected the memories to be this strong, if she had known she would have never suggested they visit. But maybe, deep down, she had known. And maybe she had known that to let go of the memories she had to first relive them. It was the first time she had visited the sanctuary since his death, and while it was painful, it was almost a relief. Rikku clambered up the rope ladder at Lulu's words, apparently taking them to heart. Yuna, Tidus and Kimahri followed, but Wakka stayed behind with Lulu for a moment.  
  
"Lu? How are you doing?" he asked.  
  
"Why would you ask?" she replied.  
  
"You've been quiet.. quieter than usual. Something's been bugging you, eh?"  
  
"It's just.." Lulu's glance fell upon the carved initials and heart on the wall, but she didn't want to talk about it. Not here, not now, with everybody in hearing range. "I'll tell you later." She gestured at the ladder. "Aren't you going?"  
  
"You go. Wouldn't want you to fall with nobody there to catch you, ya?" he said, stealing her line, not knowing it was once Chappu's. It almost made her smile.  
  
"You're the clumsy one," she teased but went first anyway. By the time they got to the top everybody else was checking out the area. There was lush, green grass on the ground and rocky walls surrounding them. To their side that faced the village was the highest wall, towering above them. It sloped down in the other direction until it met the sea, and curved around them. Trees grew on one side, their long, leafy branches shading over half the area. In the shade were some short, flat rocks, perfect for relaxing on, although the grass was plenty comfortable. It was cozy but not cramped, even with 6 people.  
  
"Lulu, you've been holding out on us!" Yuna cried, pretending to be aghast that she would perform such an atrocity.  
  
"Yeah, this place is great!" Tidus was glad Lulu couldn't read his mind and know what he was thinking the place would be so great for. Rikku was too busy jumping, trying to reach the leaves on the tree, to give her own two cents, but Wakka nodded in agreement.  
  
"Right, nice place you've got here," he said.  
  
"It isn't mine," Lulu said.  
  
Rikku had managed to grab a leaf so her attention could be directed back at Lulu. "Whose is it?"  
  
"Later, we need to work on your magic skills now." Lulu set everything she was carrying on a rock under the tree and filled the water glasses with a small water spell. "We should be able to cast spells on the rock wall without damaging it, no doubt it has already sustained years of battling the elements. Come, Rikku."  
  
"Yes ma'am!" Rikku said and followed her to the sunny side of the enclosure. Everybody else sat back and watched, sure they were going to be entertained.  
  
"It isn't hard if you learn to concentrate," Lulu started while Rikku watched a butterfly flutter past. "Rikku!"  
  
"Huh? What'd you say?"  
  
"I said you need to concentrate." This wasn't going to be easy...  
  
"Oh, right. Then what?"  
  
"Imagine there's a thunderhead above you, completely in your control. A bolt strikes down towards you, and you catch it in your hand." She swung her hand into the air to simulate it, and Rikku cringed at the thought. "Then send the bolt flying through your fingertips, directed at your enemy. It's as simple as that."  
  
"Through my fingertips?" Rikku squeaked. Lulu finished her demonstration and threw a thunderbolt against the rock wall. Rikku squealed, dropped to the ground and wrapped herself around Lulu's legs. "Mommy!"  
  
Tidus laughed. "It isn't that bad, Rikku, she didn't even cast it towards you." Rikku just whimpered in reply.  
  
Yuna had a more comforting approach, as always. She kneeled next to Rikku and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know you can do it, I believe in you."  
  
"Yunie.." Rikku said.  
  
"Come on," Yuna urged and held out a hand for her to grab. Rikku did so and she pulled her up. Rikku threw her arms around Yuna.  
  
"But I _hate_ thunder!" she cried. Yuna hugged her back and gently pulled Rikku's arms off of her.  
  
"Give it another try," Yuna suggested. Rikku nodded and stood back by Lulu.  
  
Wakka put an arm around Yuna. "Always our healer, ya?" Yuna glanced down at the ground, slightly embarrassed.  
  
Rikku shut her eyes tight and did as Lulu said and imagined a thunderbolt coming down to her. But she couldn't take it and ended up squealing and jumping away. Lulu shook her head and Yuna smiled weakly. "I'll help her keep trying while you teach it to somebody else," Yuna said.  
  
"Who next?" Lulu asked. She was hoping Wakka would volunteer but instead Tidus jumped at the chance.  
  
"I'll go!" he said, pumping his fist into the air.  
  
"Very well. You heard what I told Rikku, correct?"  
  
"Yep," he replied.  
  
She gestured for him to try. "Then strut your stuff."  
  
Tidus laughed. He put his arm into then waved at the wall, but nothing happened. "It didn't work."  
  
"Take a deep breath, close your eyes and still your mind." He did so. "Now try again. Imagine the thunder rumbling, the clouds building, the lightning striking down into your fist. Now let it flow through you and toss it at the wall." Tidus followed her every word, trying to obey, but yet when he gestured at the wall there were still no results.  
  
"Lulu, it isn't working!" he complained  
  
Lulu sighed heavily, he always was so whiny. "Try it this way instead. Picture yourself holding a ball of electricity, feel it tingling in your hand, tickling your fingers, then throw it." Once again he followed her instructions and threw the "ball" at the rocky wall... and once again, nothing happened.   
  
"Maybe we should try items instead," she said, obviously losing hope in his ability to perform the spell.  
  
"Yeah, Lulu, you're right, I'm no good at this," he pouted.  
  
Kimahri came up and cast Thunder against the wall. Whether he was trying to show him that it was possible for anybody to learn or was just showing off was anybody's guess.  
  
"Well done, Kimahri," Lulu congratulated.  
  
"Kimahri watch much," he explained simply.  
  
Just then a large crackle sounded and the whole area lit up. They all turned to look at it's origin. Rikku stared at her hand in shock and Yuna was clapping.  
  
"You did it Rikku! I knew you could!" Yuna exclaimed and hugged her cousin.  
  
"Wow," Rikku said simply. "It didn't hurt or anything."  
  
Wakka punched her on the shoulder. "Way to go!"  
  
"How come she can do it and I can't?" Tidus whined.  
  
"Thunder is very strong in her mind, she has no trouble picturing it at all. Her only obstacle was her fear, which she overcame, as I knew she would," Lulu said. "Thunder is nothing to you, you've never concerned yourself with it, so you don't have the same affinity with it that she does.  
  
"What about you, Lulu? You don't strike me as the type to ever be afraid of anything," Tidus asked.  
  
"But I always watched the elements. You don't need fear to have a relationship, it just happens to be a very strong form of one."  
  
"How am I supposed to get this "relationship" then?" Tidus asked.  
  
A mischievous grin spread over Rikku's face and she ran up to Lulu and whispered something in her ear. Lulu nodded and they both stood poised in front of Tidus. Rikku started counting, "One..."  
  
"What are you guys doing?" Tidus questioned.  
  
"Two.."  
  
Wakka burst out laughing as he realized what they were up to and whispered their plan to Yuna. "No, don't!" she cried, but it was a lost cause.  
  
"Three!" They both sent a Thunder spell his way and he barely managed to dodge them.  
  
"Hey!" he cried. "You trying to get me killed or something?"  
  
Lulu cast it again and Rikku said, "We'll stop once you zap us back."  
  
Tidus ducked but still got hit by Lulu's last attack. It wasn't very strong, though, so it didn't hurt him much. "Hah! I'm suppose to be afraid of a weak spell like that?"  
  
Lulu's eyes flashed. She could have easily fried him then but didn't because she was trying to be nice, and this is how he thanked her? Well, then, she would just have to find a way to "strike" a bit more fear into him.  
  
"Uh oh. Now you've done it!" Wakka exclaimed.  
  
Yuna saw the anger in Lulu's eyes as well. "Think of it as a blitzball made of lightning," she suggested, trying to relate it to something he knew.  
  
"A blitzball of lightning? Hmm." He might be able to work with that. Lulu was lifting her arm to perform a much stronger spell now, so he had to work fast. Tidus mentally formed a blitzball shaped ball of lightning, then tossed it at her with all his might.  
  
Lulu stumbled back from the shock but looked pleased. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"  
  
Yuna ran up to both of them. "Are you two okay? Do you need healed?" They both shook their heads, saying they were fine, that she shouldn't worry about it. Of course, that's what they always said, and she usually couldn't get them to admit that they needed healing until they were nearly sprawled out on the ground. She giggled at their stubbornness to herself and cured them anyway. Afterwards she felt a bit dizzy and excused herself to get a drink of water. Before she left she suggested to Rikku, "Why don't you show them that Reflect spell I taught you?" Rikku nodded and Yuna walked over to the lush grass under the tree, sipping at a glass. Ever since she had been taken to Omega Ruins she felt funny after casting a spell, why? She tried to remember what had happened there but it was all a blur. One moment she was being carried, the next she had woken up on a table of sorts. A table? What would a fiend be doing with a table? There was something more that had happened but she couldn't quite grasp the memory, like a butterfly that flutters away every time your fingers get achingly close to it. All she could remember was shadows of faces, whether they were human or of fiends she couldn't quite make out, and a feeling of absolute dread. What had they done to her, was there any way to find out?  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Time for shoutouts to the reviewers!!  
  
unicornfan -- I love Evanescence, Amy has a voice to die for. The only person who can even compete is Rikki!   
  
I've listened to them all countless times, lol. My Immortal (and that's what it's labeled as on the CD and site!) is my favorite.  
  
Yeah, it fits too, plenty do, but I didn't want to overdo it.  
  
Hehe, I know, seeing Lulu fall for Wakka is just too entertaining.  
  
Good, her poem was supposed to be lovesick.  
  
Author Alert only works if you're a paying member, I think. So, yeah... Thanks for the long review and chatting on MSN with you is a blast!  
  
Hiasha -- Hehe, glad you enjoy it. Sorry that my updates aren't exactly in a timely manner, I just have the shortest attention span and it's hard for me to finish things! Hopefully it's good enough to make up for it... hopefully... ~Bites nails nervously~  
  
Sauratos -- Anything else Master? ~Kisses your feet~  
  
kingleby -- Then the Wakka/Lulu moment was as good as I hoped.  
  
Err, missed some reviews because unicornfan's confused me. Okay, here's the rest:  


LeighLRDrckr -- Heh, the whole reason I started writing this was because I couldn't stand waiting for FFX-2 anymore. I'm happy to hear (er read) that you think the characters are accurate, I've been trying really hard to make them that way! And I have no idea who Golum is and I've never played Kingdom Hearts... so no, nothing to do with that, lol. How odd.  
  
Kurai Yume -- I never doubted you would be back!  
  
Hopefully me spending a whole chapter on it is a good thing... I'm trying to make this really long (long enough to last until X-2!) so that's bound to happen a lot, lol.   
  
Hehe, good, everybody enjoyed it. I wasn't really sure I'd like it myself but I think it was a good move!   
  
Oh, everybody's reviews are my main motivation, it makes me want to post another chapter so I can reply to them! So that means you all should review lots and lots, ya hear? (Although you are already so that's good!)  
  
Yes, I made sure to put in quite the romantic scene. I would have added more but I don't want to get in trouble for ratings or anything...   
  
Ars Arcanum -- Just reading that line about Tidus carrying Yuna makes me laugh soo much. I don't know why! It is pretty cute, though. ^_^  
  
Okay, okay, I'll do what I want.. because you told me too... isn't that counterproductive? Hmmm.. In any case, I wasn't going to erase what I had already written, lol. I guess you're right though! I'm not sure Wakka can survive with Lulu though... with that temper she'd probably end up killing him or something.. lol. I guess we'll to see!  
  
Yep, I have the CD. Two people with "My Last Breath" as their favorite, eh? I just love listening to My Immortal.. you can feel her pain... it always makes me want to cry.... "My Last Breath" is the same way, but not quite as heightened. For me, anyway.  
  
unicornfan -- Wow, you reviewed a lot, lol. I didn't mean to make you cry, you know!(Geez I must say that as much as Rikku.)  
  
Sorry, I didn't know! I thought they were supposed to be like this!  
  
Nah, I love Yuna too much to kill her.  
  
Squaresoft's downfall. They didn't kiss NEARLY enough in the game. I was very disappointed.. but I will try to make it less repetitive somehow!  
  
  
Okay, I think that's everything. Thanks for the reviews guys, it really is the highlight of my day!! 


	9. A Problem

A/N: Hey guys, it's been awhile, eh? Sorry for the long wait, but I had reached the end of where the story was planned out and had absolutely no idea where to go with it. Now that has changed, I have a few chapters almost totally planned out and it shouldn't be too hard to go from there.  
  
For you new readers, I wrote the previous chapters before X-2 was even released, so any similarities (such as the Besaid cave.. go figure) are purely coincidental. It was my idea first! Even though it's out now and I've played it and everything, there won't be any X-2 characters or anything included.  
  
My apologies if something is out of place, I haven't played FFX or read this fic in awhile, lol.  
  
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Lulu came over to where Yuna was sitting and sat beside her. "You taught Rikku well," she complimented. Yuna shook her thoughts away and nodded to Lulu. "Now you're the only one that hasn't learned the thunder spell." No response from Yuna. "Yuna? Are you okay?"  
  
"Hm? Oh, I'm fine," she replied, unconvincingly.  
  
"You've seemed a bit off lately. You have everything you wanted, I thought you'd be happy."  
  
"I am," Yuna assured her.  
  
"There's something you're not telling me.." Yuna had always been that way, she forced herself to deal with her problems alone. It never seemed to occur to her that others could help.  
  
"I'm fine, really Lulu." She smiled, praying that Lulu would let up.  
  
"Okay... Ready to learn to throw thunder?"  
  
"I think it'd be better if I focused on keeping all of you healed," she frantically excused. She didn't want to worry them, but she didn't really know what she was going to do... she just needed some time to think, maybe she could remember something vital. Yuna glanced at the darkening sky. "We should get back before it gets too dark."  
  
Lulu sighed. It was nearly impossible to break Yuna's will and was a waste of energy to try. All she could do was hope that she'd share what was weighing on her mind later... and that nothing bad would happen in the meantime. "I'll get the others then." Yuna nodded in acknowledgment as Lulu walked off.  
  
Deciding to make herself useful while she waited, she gathered up the glasses and looked around to make sure she hadn't missed anything. The last of the sunlight was glittering off of something that appeared to be metallic a few strides away, so she set down her armful of items on the nearby rock and walked over to it. Mostly hidden in the lush grass it was a wonder she saw it at all. She picked it up and looked at it on her fingers... it was a delicate, silver bracelet. The band was two "ropes" entwined together, and the clasp was a heart that split in two and had a set of initials on each side. She saw her friends heading back towards her and, not wanting to give up the item before inspecting it further, pocketed it before anybody spotted it.  
  
"Ready?" Lulu asked Yuna. Yuna scooped up the load she had set down and nodded in response.  
  
Tidus looked at how many things Yuna was holding and wondered how she was going to get down the ladder with them. "Here, let me take some of those." Before she could protest he took the majority of her stack and headed down. The others followed and they all headed back to where they were staying in the small town of Besaid.  
  
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They made their way quickly through the cave, too preoccupied with the day's adventures to be captured by its atmosphere. Even Lulu, who was in a more somber mood than usual, couldn't help but crack a smile in spite of herself as she watched Rikku prance around with lightning dancing between her fingertips. As they reached the end, Lulu moved to part the vines blocking the entrance, but Rikku whizzed by her with Tidus on her heels before she had the chance.  
  
"Something's sure got them worked up, ya?" Wakka commented with a chuckle.  
  
Lulu put her hand to her head, shaking it slightly. "Kids will be kids."  
  
"There something wrong with being a kid?" he asked indignantly.  
  
"No, but there's nothing wrong with being an adult on occasion either," she responded, glancing at him before striding towards the exit. Somebody that hadn't known her all those years would have easily missed the teasing undertone, but Wakka caught it perfectly. Still, he wondered if there wasn't a bit of seriousness to the comment as well. In any case, he put his arm in front of her, parted the vines and bowed to let her through as a true gentleman type would. She sent him a sly smile, which spread a grin over his face. He waved Yuna through as well, who he noted had suddenly become quiet.  
  
After she walked through, he jogged up to the ex-summoner and touched her on the shoulder. She glanced up at him questioningly. "Everything's gonna be fine Yuna, don't worry."  
  
"What? I'm not worrying!" she insisted.  
  
He elbowed her playfully. "Then just don't start, ya?" he winked at her. She nodded her consent and he took off to catch up to Lulu, who was shaking her head at Tidus and Rikku again. The pair was running in circles, shouting at each other.  
  
"Come back here!"  
  
"It was an accident!"  
  
"You did that on purpose!"  
  
"I didn't, I swea-- Eek!" Rikku cried, dodging a thunderbolt Tidus had sent her way. She ducked behind a small boulder and formed a ball of electricity between her palms. She stayed there for a moment, waiting for her attacker to come to her.  
  
As Tidus followed to catch her, she let it off in his direction and bolted. He tried to evade it but ended up with a charred mark on his shirt. "Ah shi-- Eh, sorry." He glanced over at Yuna, whom he felt somehow funny about swearing in front of it. She didn't seem to care though. "Rikku!" he swore. Yuna's eyes lit up, but before she could point or mouth her thoughts, Tidus turned around and grabbed Rikku who had been trying to creep up on him. She tried to squirm away but he held on until they both fell into the sand.  
  
"Ow! You big meanie."  
  
"You started it."  
  
"I didn't mean to!"  
  
Lulu sighed and walked over to them. "Come on you two, get up."  
  
"I can't, he's on top of me," Rikku whined.  
  
Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, she reached down and pulled Tidus up. "There." After they both brushed themselves off she added, "I'm not even going to bother asking what happened."  
  
"She zapped me wi--"  
  
"He started chasin--"  
  
"I _said _that I wasn't going to ask. Now both of you quit acting like children and get to the house."  
  
Rikku stuck her tongue out at Tidus. "Race ya."  
  
"And be bested again?"  
  
"We'll see. On your mark.."  
  
"Wait." He turned and gestured over to Yuna to join them. "It'll be more fun if we both beat you," he grinned.  
  
"Go!" Wakka called out and the three took off, with Rikku and Tidus trying to trip each other.  
  
Lulu laughed softly to herself. "Kids will be kids."  
  
"At least they get Yuna to lighten up, ya?" he said, watching Yuna turn back occasionally to taunt her opponents and giggle.  
  
"I just hope they're not too bad of an influence on her. The last thing we need is another Rikku or Tidus running around."  
  
Wakka couldn't help but chuckle. "She'll always be Yuna. She seems happier when she loosens up though."  
  
Lulu nodded. No doubt it was a great burden lifted when you could run around and giggle like a child. 'It's been forever since I let loose like that. I wonder what it'd be like to do that now? I'd just end up embarrassing myself.' She shook her head to clear the thoughts.  
  
Wakka looked over at her. "Jealous, aren't you?"  
  
As thickheadeded as Wakka could be, there were some times when he could see right through her. "Don't be ridiculous."  
  
"You are. Lu, it's nothing to be ashamed of."  
  
She turned to look at him and saw he was trying not to smile or laugh. What was so funny? She wasn't going to be laughed at by _him_. Infuriated, she briskly turned her back on him and stomped off.  
  
"Lu!" It was no use. "Aw man. Why does this always have to happen? Lu, come on!" He chased after her until they reached the house, where she completely ignored him. The three competitors had reached it long before they did, but Tidus still looked slightly out of breath. Figuring Lulu was a lost cause at the moment, he asked, "Who won?" Rikku and Tidus glanced towards Yuna, who beamed with pride. "Wow, beat the 'star player of the Zanarkand Abes' and that ball of energy. Nice going. So.. who lost then?" This time they looked towards Tidus, who glanced at the ground. Wakka snickered. "They _both_ beat you? That's rough, brudda." Still laughing, he gave Tidus a hard pat on the back and entered the house. Tidus just glared back, apparently a sore loser.  
  
"It was nice of you to let us win," Yuna offered, even though she doubted he did.  
  
Tidus slung his arm over her shoulders as they both headed for the door. "Yeah, and don't you forget it." Rikku stuck her tongue out at him and he glanced backwards and stuck out his back at her.  
  
Lulu watched the three of them go in and paced back and forth for a few moments, trying to decide whether to join them or spend some time on her own. She then realized she wasn't alone and looked over to Kimahri. "Aren't you going in too?"  
  
"Kimahri enter last." So it was decided. Though she wasn't sure she wanted to be around Wakka at the moment, she wasn't about to wuss out in front of Kimahri, so she lead them inside.

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The gang was seated around a table eating dinner, most of them laughing and talking.  
  
"I'd kill for some pizza right now," Tidus mentioned offhandedly. After receiving some odd looks he added, "Not that this isn't good or anything!"  
  
Yuna cocked her head to the side. "What's pizza?"  
  
They'd never heard of pizza? That explained the strange looks, but it was still hard to believe. "You guys don't have that here?" Yuna shook her head. "Wow. Well... you start out with dough, right? Then you put on tomato sauce, then cheese, then pepperoni. Some people like other stuff added, mostly meat and vegetables, but that was always my favourite."  
  
Lulu leaned forward, interested. She had ended up cooking a lot of meals, so cooking had become an interest of hers. New dishes always intrigued her. "What was in the dough?"  
  
Tidus scratched his head. "Uh, I really don't know. But the whole thing is in a circle shape," he used his hands to demonstrate, "and you'd fold up the edges to make a crust."  
  
"Like a pie?"  
  
"Um... maybe. It is called a pizza pie but uh, I don't think it's really the same..."  
  
"I take it that it's safe to assume you have no idea how to make the sauce either?"  
  
"Erm.. yeah, pretty much."  
  
Lulu leaned back again, wondering if she could make something similar from his vague description.  
  
"So, any plans? For after we beat the fiend thing of course." Tidus said, directing the comment mostly at Yuna.  
  
"I haven't really thought about it." She pondered the thought for a moment. "I suppose I would want to do something that I never had time to when I was training at the temple."  
  
Tidus nodded, thoughtful for a moment. "Hey! How about some blitz lessons?"  
  
Her eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Do you think I could do it?"  
  
"Definitely! No problem."  
  
"I think that's a good idea. Maybe could all go, ya? Lu, Rikku?" Wakka cast a hopeful glance at Lulu but she returned it with an icy stare. Tidus was also glaring at him but he didn't notice.  
  
"Nah, I already know how to swim. I was never that into sports anyway," Rikku replied.  
  
"Lu?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Come on, it'd be fun ya?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Lu--"  
  
"No, Wakka!"  
  
"I guess it's just you two then," Wakka sighed with disappointment. Tidus grinned, he had been looking forward to spending some time with Yuna alone.  
  
Lulu, quickly tiring of Wakka's puppy eye look, decided to broach a new subject. "Yuna, do you remember anything in the cave that might help us?"  
  
Yuna froze. How much should she tell them? Maybe she should just try to talk them into not returning, and maybe the fiend wouldn't come back. Maybe.. probably not..  
  
"Yuna?"  
  
Might as well give them what she knew. "I don't remember much. I was on a table, and I think..." she thought hard, focusing on the blurry memory," I think I heard a voice."  
  
"This goes deeper than we thought," Lulu mused. "Anything else?"  
  
"Well... Ever since then, whenever I try to cast a spell, it makes me tired and dizzy."  
  
"Maybe just 'cause you overdid it on that spell to bring Tidus back?" Wakka offered.  
  
"No. That's like trying to bring forth energy and not having it. This is more like.. something is stealing the energy whenever I try to use it." Stealing energy? She hadn't thought of it quite like that before, but having said it, it felt right.  
  
"I'll check my books on magic and history and see if I can find anything," Lulu said and stood up from the table.  
  
"I'm gonna go to bed. I'm pooped!" Rikku exclaimed while stuffing a fourth biscuit in her mouth.  
  
"I think I'm gonna head to bed too," Tidus said and yawned.  
  
"Didn't think casting a few spells wouldn't take that much out of you, did you?" Lulu teased.  
  
Tidus looked a little sheepish but got up as well instead of replying. "Yuna, you coming too?"  
  
"I don't think so." The young couple turned their heads to the objecting Lulu. "Perhaps Rikku should bunk with Yuna tonight," she added, looking Tidus in the eye to make sure he realized that it was not a suggestion.  
  
"Yeah.. okay." Tidus trudged off to Rikku's usual sleeping spot, knowing there was no point in arguing with Lulu over it. Maybe he could just sneak up there during the night...  
  
"It'll be like a sleepover, Yunie. This'll be great!" Despite her claims of being tired, she still seemed perky as ever to Yuna as she bounced up the stairs. She would have complained, but she wasn't really sleepy herself and she figured it might be fun to spend some bonding time with a cousin she hadn't known most of her life. She followed Rikku up the stairs, wondering what kind of things she usually did on a sleepover.  
  
As Yuna was getting ready to change, she felt the bracelet in her pocket and pulled it out. "What's that?" Rikku asked.  
  
"I'm not sure. I found it in the cave that Lulu lead us to but I haven't had a chance to look at it." She held it up to the light briefly before tossing it to her cousin. "Don't you need to get some nightclothes?"  
  
"Oh right. I'll be back in a jiffy!"  
  
After Yuna had changed into white cotton pajamas with pink flower patterns and placed her dress in the hamper, Rikku barged back in. She too was dressed in pajamas, but hers were bright pink and yellow and revealed more skin. There was one thing missing though. "Where's the bracelet?"  
  
Rikku looked down at her hands, thinking for a moment. "I must've left it in the bathroom. I'll go get it." Yuna nodded and followed, but when they got there, there was nothing on the counter. "I know I left it right here!"  
  
"I wonder where it could have gone..."  
  
------------------------------  
  
Lulu sat in her study with all the lights turned down except for a lamp on a desk. She had several dusty, old books placed in front of her, a few of them open, but none had her attention. Instead she was examining a silver bracelet engraved with her and a lost lover's initials. She still remembered the day he gave it to her, the same day he told her he was enlisting with the Crusaders. After he had walked away from her, she threw it to the ground in her fury and remorse. When she heard of his death, she returned to the spot but never found it. Now she wasn't sure she wanted it at all, but she felt compelled to put it on. She pushed it up her arm, making sure it was hidden by her long sleeves, so nobody else would notice it. After trying to focus on the books in front of her, she sighed and got up. There was no way she was going to be able to concentrate like this. Perhaps she just needed to return to their secret alcove and indulge in her memories for once. Not paying attention to her surroundings, she walked right past Wakka on her way to the door.  
  
"Lu?"  
  
She turned to face him, forgetting that she was angry with him. She must have also forgotten to mask her face, as Wakka gave her a look of sympathy. Somehow he had come to recognize that expression of hers when she thought of Chappu, though she didn't like to think she wore it enough for anybody to make the connection.  
  
"Where you goin'?"  
  
"I was just.. headed for a walk."  
  
"You uh.. want some company?" Wakka asked timidly, ready for her to go off on him again.  
  
"Okay," she replied without thinking. Wait, what?! She didn't want him to go with her. He'd see how vulnerable she could be. He'd end up trying to comfort her, and that was the last thing she wanted... Wasn't it? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.. Dear Yevon, what was she getting herself into?  
  
"Really?"  
  
She headed for the door and didn't even bother to turn around to tell him, "Don't push it or I'll change my mind." He didn't need to be told twice and jogged to catch up with her. 

------------------------------ 

Rikku and Yuna were in Yuna's bedroom, swapping theories on where the bracelet had vanished to when they heard the front door open and close. "Who would be leaving at this time of night?" Yuna wondered aloud. Rikku leaned to the window to check and saw Wakka and Lulu.  
  
"Hmm, something's up with them."  
  
"Who?" Yuna followed her gaze out the window.  
  
As Rikku was concentrating, trying to read their lips, she noticed the moonlight glint off of something on Lulu's wrist. "I think that solves the bracelet mystery."  
  
"Are you sure? Why would she take it?"  
  
"Why would she go for a late night walk for Wakka? Yunie, stop, they'll see you!" Rikku reprimanded as Yuna opened the window and was leaning out to get a better look.  
  
"We really shouldn't be spying on them like this anyway."  
  
"Hmm.." Rikku put her finger to her chin as she always did when formulating a plan. "We should follow them."  
  
"What?! We can't do that!"  
  
"Don't you want to know what's going on with them."  
  
"Well, maybe, but that doesn't mean we can just--"  
  
"All right then, let's go!" Rikku grabbed her stubborn cousin by the wrist and dragged her towards the door. "Just remember, stay quiet and follow my lead. Despite several more objections on the way to the front door, Rikku was not talked out of her plan. Yuna eventually sighed and gave in. Rikku held a finger to her lips to indicate they should be quiet from now on and slipped through the door soundlessly. Yuna followed suit, closing the door as quietly as she could. Rikku took the lead, making hand gestures to indicate when to hide behind a building or tree and when to move forward. They kept as close as she felt they could without being seen, but they were still too far away to pick up on Lulu and Wakka's whispered conversation. After the pair went in the vine covered entrance to the cave, Rikku stopped Yuna and made no sign of moving.  
  
Yuna looked around for a moment and, figuring they were out of earshot, risked Rikku's wrath by speaking. "Why have we stopped?"  
  
"If we follow them before they've gone up the ladder they'll see us for sure. What do you think?"  
  
"I think they want some time alone."  
  
"Don't you think it's kinda strange? Them out in the middle of the night, just the two of them, heading to a secluded cave?"  
  
"I think it's kinda asking for trouble... Are you sure we shouldn't turn back now?" Yuna glanced warily at the cave entrance, waiting for them to reappear any moment and catch them.  
  
"Don't wimp out on me now! You need to learn how to enjoy yourself more, Yunie."  
  
She looked unsure but didn't object further. "How long until we can follow them?"  
  
"We should be okay now. Just be quiet." She crept up to the entrance, peeked in, and nodded to Yuna to follow. They trod carefully, trying not to make any noise, until they reached the ladder. Rikku glanced up the ladder. "It looks like the exit is in a shadow, so we can watch and probably not get caught."  
  
"_Probably?!_" Yuna hissed  
  
Rikku shrugged. "Nothing in life is guaranteed." She headed up the ladder without a second thought, and Yuna shook her head before following her.  
  
_Something tells me I'm going to regret this..._ Yuna thought to herself. Rikku reached the top of the ladder and moved over to let Yuna see too. Even though there was only usually room for one person, they were both fairly thin and were able to fit after some nudging and pushing. They made sure to keep their heads low, peeking up only far enough to be able to see.  
  
Lulu was sitting on a large rock, staring up at the sky. Wakka leaned against a tree a couple of feet from her and said nothing, only watching her. That's when he spotted the bracelet, one he was sure he had never seen before. "Where'd you get that?" he asked, pointing at her wrist.  
  
She looked down surprised. "I thought..." She pushed it back up, but when she moved her arm it fell down again. "Figures."  
  
He stepped forward, reaching for her wrist then looking to her for permission. She held out her arm and he took the wrist in his hand to examine the bracelet closer. "Chappu?"  
  
"You are correct."  
  
They both stayed silent for a moment after that. Wakka wasn't known for choosing his words carefully, but this particular moment warranted it. He also noted that he hadn't dropped her hand, but felt no inclination to do so. Instead he sat down next to her. "When did he give it to you?"  
  
"The day he.. left." She was more soft spoken and somber than usual, which Wakka noted was generally the case when Chappu was brought up. He couldn't say he wasn't the same way.  
  
He wasn't sure he should pry, but his curiosity was quickly getting the better of him. "Why haven't I seen you wear it before?"  
  
"I left it here." Lulu stopped for a moment, but then continued without prodding. "I was mad at him. I came back to get it later, but couldn't find it. One of the others must have picked it up when we were here earlier. I found it in the bathroom."  
  
Wakka suppressed an urge to chuckle, thinking of how confused the finder must have been to see it disappear. "You gonna keep it?"  
  
"I.. don't know. Sometimes his memory just feels like a cage. I don't want to forget him, but I don't want to... miss him so much."  
  
Wakka nodded. "I know whatcha mean. I still think about him every day, ya? I just keep wishing he was here. Sometimes it's too much to take."  
  
"I wish I knew the way to let go." She looked at the bracelet almost as if it pained her. "There are some things I wonder if he'd approve of."  
  
Her statement confused him. What would she do that he wouldn't approve of? He unclasped the bracelet and tossed it across enclosure. "He'd want you to be happy, Lu. He wouldn't want you to hold back anything because of him."  
  
Normally she'd agree, but for this she had to wonder. His gesture spoke more volumes to her than he could possibly know.. Should she listen? Should she toss her fears about Chappu -- and everything else -- aside and take the plunge? She didn't often believe in looking to others for guidance or approval, but at that moment she would have loved for someone to tell her she would be doing no wrong. She lightly squeezed Wakka's hand and looked up at him. "Not anything?"  
  
Lulu's question went deeper than it seemed, even Wakka could tell that. He still wasn't sure exactly what she was getting at, but that didn't change the answer. "All he wanted was for you to be happy. He told me that, when he left. 'If somethin' happens to me, don't let anything stand in the way of keeping Lulu happy.' He had a funny smile when he said it, but I knew he meant it."  
  
"Maybe he knew all along..." she mumbled to herself. Before Wakka could ask what she meant, she placed her free hand on his cheek and ran her fingers along his rugged features. She leaned her face closer to his but stopped when she heard a short squeal. "What was that?"  
  
"Who cares?" And with that, he closed the gap between their lips and kissed her.  
  
-------------------  
  
I thought about making it longer but that seemed like a good place to stop. I'd also like to thank LadyYami (whoever you are these days) for sending me a review after like a YEAR and getting me writing again. I dunno what she did but I got like two or three more reviews from other people after that... So if you had something to do with that too, thanks!  
  
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. If not... blame the people that got me to update.:P


	10. Be quiet! They'll hear you!

Yuna's hand clamped down over Rikku's mouth, silencing a shrill squeal. She could tell it didn't work though, Lulu had definitely heard her. Luckily Wakka had preoccupied her for the moment, and as much as she wanted to watch longer, she knew it was in their best interest to get out of there as quickly as possible. Rikku struggled against her cousin's hand, causing even more noise. Yuna released her but gave her a stern look. "Be quiet! They'll hear you!"  
  
"But Yunie, I was right! I told you something was going on!" As hard as she tried to keep her voice low, the excitement bubbling out of it was hard to contain. Lulu again looked suspicious but hadn't yet pulled away from Wakka's embrace.  
  
"We leave _now_." Rikku opened her mouth to protest but Yuna was already climbing down. Not about to be left alone, she quickly followed, though they both kept slipping in their panic and excitement. Yuna eventually gave up trying to climb and just let go, cringing slightly as she hit the dirt. She moved aside just as Rikku followed, who seemed to take no heed of the long fall. They both ran out, trying to stay silent just in case any noise would reach the secret couple, but it was little use. Neither slowed the whole way back to the house, and they rushed up the stairs into Yuna's room. After slamming the door shut they both collapsed on the bed in a fit of giggles. "What'll we do if they figure out that was us?" Yuna asked between gasps for air and laughing fits.  
  
"They'll never find out! How could they?" Rikku grinned, quite pleased with the success of their "mission." "That was great! Wouldn't it be fun to spy on people again?"  
  
"Oh Yevon no! We'll be caught for sure!"  
  
"Caught doing what?" a voice teased from the doorway.  
  
"Tidus!" Yuna gasped. "How long have you been standing there?"  
  
"Tidus, you'll never guess what we saw," Rikku was already gesturing wildly, ready to tell the tale.  
  
Yuna shook her head. "Rikku, I don't think we should--"  
  
"Don't worry Yunie, he wouldn't tell, would ya, Tidus?"  
  
"Depends," Tidus stepped in the room, leaned close and lowered his voice for dramatic effect, "You didn't kill someone, did you?"  
  
"Of course not!" Yuna looked mortified until she saw the grin creeping across his face.  
  
"I'm just kidding Yuna, calm down." He turned to Rikku. "What's up?"  
  
"Okay, Yunie found this bracelet and--,"  
  
"Wait!" Rikku let out a low growl. "Just.. shut the door first. In case they get back before she's finished."  
  
Tidus chuckled. "You could probably hear her clear across the village anyway." He said as he shut the door anyway and sat down on the bed. As Rikku continued her story in minute detail, Yuna paced back and forth, checking the window far too frequently. As she neared the bed on her path, Tidus grabbed her around the waist and pulled her onto his lap. "It's okay," he whispered in her ear. He moved his hands to her shoulders, and noticing how tense they were, rubbed them lightly without thinking.  
  
Rikku stamped her foot in frustration. "I'm _right_ here!" Tidus just grinned but Yuna mumbled an apology and moved to the other side of the bed, slightly embarrassed. Rikku found this satisfactory and continued, circling the room and nearly knocking several fragile, handmade figurines onto the floor.  
  
Just as she was reaching the part about Wakka and Lulu's kiss, which she was about to describe in far too much detail for Tidus' taste, no doubt, Yuna gasped, "They're coming!"  
  
"Does this mean I have to stop? I was just getting to the good part too," she whined, plopping herself onto the bed.  
  
"What should we do?" Yuna asked no one in particular.  
  
Tidus shrugged. "Don't do anything, you've been here the whole time," he said, sliding over to her and winking. They all waited in silence as the pair entered the house and came up the stairs. The door opened and Lulu's eyes searched the room. They finally landed on Tidus, who had at some point draped his arm around Yuna. Yuna and Rikku exchanged nervous glances, oblivious to the easily angered mage's actual thoughts.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping downstairs?" Surprisingly, she didn't sound angry at all. She almost sounded... relaxed.  
  
Yuna was too busy recovering from her overwhelming relief to make up an excuse, so Tidus did. "I was just checking on them. And I was just leaving." He headed for the door but Lulu blocked his path.  
  
"It's fine," she said simply.  
  
Rikku raised an eyebrow, wondering what else had happened since they bailed that would put Lulu is such a good mood. It had been a good 20 minutes at least since then...  
  
"Huh?" Tidus questioned, not quite believing what she was saying.  
  
"I said it's fine. You can stay in here if you choose." She lowered her voice and whispered in his ear, "Though with Rikku here, I'm not sure you'd want to." A sly smile slid across her face as she leaned back and trotted down the stairs with Wakka.  
  
Tidus shut the door and leaned against it. "Wow. Today is my lucky day." His grin quickly returned and he landed on the bed between the two girls. "So what'll we be doing tonight, girls?" Rikku just laughed but Yuna had the good sense to whack him with the nearest pillow. "I thought we talked about this earlier," Tidus scolded before whacking her back. Soon Rikku was in on it too, and they were ganging up on him. 'This is gonna be an interesting night...'  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Tidus awoke to the sound of snoring. He had his arm around Yuna, who was pressed against him, but the sound wasn't coming from her. After he disentangled himself and stretched, he found the source of the sound was a sprawled out Rikku on the floor. Whether she had slept there or had fallen off the bed, he wasn't sure. He yawned and walked to the window, where he observed that the whole village was already awake. Judging by the sky, it was after noon. Boy, sleeping in was a privilege he had missed on Yuna's pilgrimage, that's for sure. Turning back to watch his lover sleep, he debated whether or not to wake her. Though he was tempted to let her sleep, the fiend problem was weighing on his mind at the moment for some reason. It'd be easier to formulate a plan with both her and Rikku, so he gently shook her awake.  
  
Yuna groaned softly before rolling over and opening her eyes. "Hi," she mumbled sleepily.  
  
"Hey," he grinned back. She was so cute when she was sleepy. Then again, she was almost always cute.  
  
"Is it late?"  
  
Always a worrier. "Not too late," he reassured.  
  
She glanced out the window. "It's after midday!" she exclaimed.  
  
"Hey, don't worry about it. Come on," he said as he took her hand. He nonchalantly grabbed a pillow with the other and hit Rikku with it. By the time she had woken up enough to realize what happened, he had already tossed it back and was halfway down the stairs.  
  
"You big meanie! I know that was you!" she said before racing after him.  
  
"You know what was me?" he asked. Yuna had to suppress a giggle at his completely innocent expression.  
  
"You know what I mean!"  
  
She looked pretty mad, with both hands on her hips. It didn't seem to bother Tidus though. He ruffled her hair. "You know I wouldn't do anything mean to you." They found Lulu, Wakka and Kimahri in the dining room. "Now that we're all here, how about we think of a way to get rid of that fiend that had the nerve to take Yuna? Lulu, you find anything out last night?"  
  
Wakka and Lulu exchanged a glance, and Tidus could have sworn he saw a hint of a smile on Lulu's lips. "No, I didn't but I got to thinking," she sat down at the table, swishing a mug of tea and taking a sip before continuing, "I don't think there's just a fiend. I think there's a person behind this."  
  
"Is that possible? How could you control a fiend?" Rikku wondered.  
  
"I am sure there are ways. Think about it, why else would she have been restrained on a table? Why not just--" she paused, not wanting to upset them, "A normal fiend wouldn't have let her live that long. This fiend --or whatever is commanding it-- wants something more than just a quick power drain or kill. There's something more going on that we don't know. And if we just charge in there..."  
  
"Then this guy could have who knows how many tricks just waiting to be used on us," Tidus said glumly. "What do we do? We can't just sit here and wait for it to try again!"  
  
Yuna touched him on the arm, signaling him to calm down. "So we can't fight. Maybe we can talk to him instead." She received only blank stares. "If we find out what he wants, maybe we can get it for him, without anybody getting hurt. Isn't it worth a try?"  
  
Tidus sighed. "Yuna, I just don't think that's going to work. He probably wants to destroy the world or something."  
  
"I'm not so sure. If he was out to kill, I would be dead right now, as Lulu said. I think he wants something else."  
  
Lulu stood in thought, contemplating her words. Could it work? "If we go in with protective spells, and only attack to ward off any fiends.. We could get his attention."  
  
"And if that fails?"  
  
"If we can't destroy any attackers, we should be able to hold them off long enough to get away.  
  
'I don't know about this,' Tidus thought to himself, but one look at Yuna's pleading eyes silenced any protests from him. He nodded. "Okay. I trust you. When do we do it?"  
  
"First we need to hit the books," Lulu said. She headed for her library as everyone else gathered around the table. After a few moments she dumped a pile of musty books in the middle of them.  
  
"These things must be a 100 years old!" Rikku exclaimed.  
  
"More like a thousand. Maybe two," Lulu corrected emotionlessly.  
  
"I didn't know books lasted that long," Rikku mused.  
  
"Most don't, but these are protected by magic."  
  
Rikku opened one and realized she had to be right, though she doubted Lulu was ever wrong. The pages weren't yellowed in the slightest, or even torn. She blew the dust off of it and coughed as it made a cloud. "Too bad they didn't add a dust repellant."  
  
"This is going to take awhile, isn't it?" Tidus complained.  
  
"Some things take less action and more planning," Lulu chided.  
  
And so with a heavy sigh, they all started scanning the books for anything useful. Rikku came across something first, and slid the book over to their resident white magic expert. "Yunie, what do you think of this?"  
  
Yuna carefully read the small print, which seemed to describe a large scale shield of sorts. It was only of moderate strength but was supposed to be easily sustained for a long period of time. "I think that'll be very helpful, Rikku. Considering how strong the fiend was, I don't think it'll protect us from it completely, but it should discourage it greatly." Rikku beamed with pride as Yuna carefully copied the instructions and other vital information to a sheet of paper for further use.  
  
As the day and then the night wore on they had little luck finding much else. They hadn't even stopped to eat, as Lulu had prepared snacks periodically and brought it right to them. Yuna had come across a spell that would stun the opponent for a precious few moments, perhaps giving them time to flee or get off something stronger. Wakka's suggestions reflected his apparent knowledge of the field -- or more accurately, the lack thereof. Lulu's brow was furrowed in frustration as she scoured one book after another, finding nothing of use. Tidus' eyes were only half open at best, and his head eventually hit the book as he fell asleep. Yuna smiled at his innocent expression, even if he was being no help. As Lulu looked up and saw him slumbering, she sighed. "Perhaps we should call it a night." Rikku nodded in agreement and rubbed her eyes as she went up the stairs, apparently so tired that even she couldn't manage to maintain her usual bounce.  
  
Yuna reached over and gently shook Tidus awake. He yawned and looked around. "What?"  
  
"You fell asleep," she teased.  
  
"Oh man." He looked to Lulu, ready to be yelled at for it, but she had already left. He wasn't sure whether to be worried or relieved.  
  
"She's not mad."  
  
Tidus raised an eyebrow at her. "How did you know that's what I was thinking?"  
  
Yuna just smiled mysteriously. "Let's get to bed."  
  
He nodded and started to get up, but stopped as his eyes fell on the page. "Wait."  
  
She leaned over his shoulder to see what he was reading. "What is it?" She followed his finger, pointing at two spells. One was purely defensive -- a shield that was summoned for a few seconds that could absorb practically anything. It took some strength but it could be done several times within a short span if necessary. The other was an offensive spell, and a powerful one at that. It created a ball of condensed, non-elemental energy that would explode upon impact, inflicting massive damage against even the strongest of foes. It looked difficult but Yuna was pretty sure Lulu could pull it off with some practice. A smile spread across her face. "These are perfect!" She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. "You've saved us again," she murmured.  
  
He was momentarily taken back by her uncharacteristic display of affection, but quickly regained his composure and squeezed her back before replying, "Just doing my job."  
  
"Let's go show Lulu." After inserting a bookmark, she raced to Lulu's room with Tidus struggling to keep up. She burst in, "Look what we.. found." Lulu looked irate at the interruption. Wakka was standing suspiciously close to her and seemed embarrassed. "What Tidus found, actually," she corrected, pretending not to notice what she had interrupted..  
  
Lulu took the book and skimmed the marked pages. "Yes, that will work quite nicely. Thank you Tidus," she said simply and handed the book back. She quickly shooed them out and shut the door behind them.  
  
Tidus scratched his head. "She didn't seem too happy about it."  
  
"I think she's just.. distracted."  
  
Tidus might have thought to question why she was smiling almost mischievously had he been fully awake, but at the moment it was all he could do to stumble to bed and fall asleep with Yuna at his side.  
  
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A/N: Sort of a short chapter I guess. Only got three reviews last time... You meanies. Thanks to those that did review though! Next chapter should be a little more exciting. 


	11. The Confrontation

After several days of training their newfound spells, the gang decided they were ready to return to the mysterious fiend's lair. They were finishing the final preparations as Rikku contacted Cid to pick them up in the airship. Wakka, Tidus and Kimahri were polishing up their weapons and Yuna and Lulu were checking the spell books one last time.  
  
"Yuna, I think I've found a spell that will counter the draining effect you are feeling," Lulu said and slid the book to Yuna so she could take a look.  
  
She nodded. "Try it."  
  
Lulu gestured for her to stand a few feet away and studied the page for a moment before closing her eyes. She raised her arms about her head, concentrating hard for what seemed an eternity. She then lowered her arms in a fluid movement and Yuna felt a slight tingling sensation throughout her body. "How do you feel?"  
  
"A little funny," Yuna admitted. She looked over to Kimahri and Tidus, who were having a friendly duel to sharpen their skills. Mostly friendly, that is. Tidus took a chance strike, leaving himself vulnerable, and Kimahri struck him across the arm, leaving a nasty red gash.  
  
Lulu shook her head at them before addressing Yuna once more. "Try healing him."  
  
Tidus sat in a chair, glaring at Kimahri while she walked over to him. She held a hand above the cut and concentrated on closing the wound. Before she knew it, his arm was fully healed without a sign of injury. She stared at both his arm and her hand in silent amazement. That had been a pretty deep gash and would usually have taken longer to heal and would have taken more out of her. As it was, the procedure had been nearly effortless.  
  
"Did it work?" Lulu asked.  
  
"Oh. Yes, it did. How long is this supposed to last?"  
  
"It should last a few hours at least."  
  
Yuna flexed her fingers, feeling an unfamiliar sense of power. For once she felt truly confident in their plan, she knew it would work.  
  
Everyone sheathed their weapons and Rikku returned to the room. "Pops is on his way, but he says the weather is worrying him."  
  
Lulu glanced outside, where dark clouds were brewing a storm. "Is it going to be a problem?"  
  
"The airship could be damaged if it starts storming. He can get us there, but he may not be able to fly us back. Maybe we should wait?" Rikku shuddered at the thought of being caught in a thunderstorm on the airship, or being trapped in Omega Ruins. She wasn't sure which scenario would be worse.  
  
"No," Yuna said firmly. "We can do it." Tidus nodded in approval of her statement.  
  
"But--" Rikku started.  
  
"We already know the fiend seems to like cloudy weather. It's best that we go now instead of giving it a prime chance to attack," Lulu interrupted. Rikku hung her head, knowing she was defeated. With the matter now settled, they went outside to meet the airship, which was landing now.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------  
  
Yuna waved as the airship took off, leaving them at the entrance of Omega Ruins. She glanced at the darkening sky, now filled with swollen, black clouds. It seemed they would have to find another way back to Besaid, but that was something to worry about later. She spoke to Rikku as they entered the caves, "That was nice of Cid to give us some of their best potions."  
  
Rikku was stuffing them into her pockets. "Yeah! And look at this super smoke bomb he gave me." She tossed it up but it slipped through her fingers on the way back down and smashed open on the floor. The group coughed and gagged as an unbelievable amount of smoke poured from the small object.  
  
Lulu conjured a light breeze to blow it away from them. "Be more careful."  
  
"Sorry, heh heh."  
  
They had only walked for a few moments when a fiend approached them. It was a Halma, a short, roundish armoured thing. It charged at Tidus who blocked it easily with his sword and pushed it back.  
  
"Time to test out our new spells," Lulu said. Yuna cast the weaker of the two shielding spells around the entire party. The Halma charged again but bounced when it hit the shield, which rippled from the impact but held. It looked confused for a moment and then charged again, yielding no results except a ripple and a probable headache once more. "How is it holding up?" Lulu asked Yuna.  
  
"Fine so far. It should be able to stand a few more hits."  
  
Lulu formed a small ball of energy on her palm and tossed it at the Halma, which was obliterated on impact.  
  
"Not bad, Lu," Wakka complimented.  
  
"And that was a low power version," Lulu smirked.  
  
They lazily walked to their destination, not fearing the fiends that once overpowered them easily. A few more tried their luck, but none proved to even be a challenge. At last they arrived at the false wall.  
  
Tidus scratched his head. "I think we should've brought rope or something."  
  
"I knew we were forgetting something," Wakka groaned.  
  
"Don't worry, I packed some!" Rikku said grinning. She pulled off a small backpack she had been carrying and removed a rope with a hook on the end from it.  
  
"So you are good for something after all," Tidus teased. "Somebody lift me up there and I'll hook it in."  
  
"I don't think so." Rikku threw it up and the hook embedded itself in the rock. She gave it a pull to make sure it was secure then stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
"I could've done that," he mumbled before climbing up. Rikku followed, and the others helped Yuna and Lulu before going up themselves.  
  
"Everyone ready?" Yuna whispered. They all nodded, and she refreshed the shield spell before they continued. Rikku took the front, smoke bomb in hand. The fiend was pacing in cavern at the end of the hall, oblivious to them approaching.  
  
Rikku threw the smoke bomb at it. "Everyone take your positions!" Wakka, Kimahri and Tidus took the front and the girls took the back. The fiend was shrieking so loud the walls shook from the noise, and as the smoke cleared, the fiend clawed the ground. "It looks mad." Rikku swallowed hard.  
  
"We'll be fine. Just concentrate." Lulu turned to Yuna. "Don't overdo it."  
  
Both sides stood still, swords raised, hands ready to cast spells, waiting for someone to make a move. The fiend's eyes studied its opponents, and when they fell on Yuna, it lunged. It punctured their primary shield with little difficulty and kept going, barely slowed by the obstacle.  
  
"Yuna!" Tidus struck it with his sword, and Wakka and Kimahri followed suit. The fiend turned around and growled before grabbing at Yuna, but the delay gave her time to summon the stronger shield. When its claws hit it and bounced off, it shrieked again, making them instinctively cover their ears. It looked ready to try again, but Lulu unleashed several balls of the non-elemental magic, leaving burn marks on its body. If it had any doubt about retreating, Rikku got rid of it when she cast thundaga from each hand, bouncing the rays of lightning off the walls. It jumped back, narrowly avoiding her spell which sizzled on contact with the ground. It appeared wounded but wasn't ready to give up. It glared at Yuna but made no move to attack her.  
  
"Wakka, Kimahri.. You try getting behind it while I distract it," Tidus whispered. They nodded and moved off to the side, disappearing in the shadows. Tidus waved his sword at the fiend. "Hey! You want a piece of this?" He stared at it, taunting it, daring it to attack him. The moment reminded him of when he'd play blitzball in Zanarkand, the moment right before the game where he'd stare down his opponent. It would be right before the heavy strains of some rock song would start pouring through the stadium, filling the players and crowd with adrenaline. They continued to stare down one another, waiting for some silent horn to start the round.  
  
_Go now, if you want it_  
  
The imaginary timer sounded and the battle began. The Fiend attempted to slash at him, but Tidus blocked it easily. He pushed back the claw, and it struck again, this time with both "arms."  
  
_Don't you give up on it_  
  
Tidus stopped both attacks, and the fiend started attacking faster, pushing his sword skills to the limit. He quickly tossed the sword from one hand to another when an attack came from the side, then quickly brought it upwards to block an above attack.  
  
_Go now, there's no better plan, than to do or to die_  
  
On the occasion that he let a strike slip through, a shield flashed it front of him, protecting him from harm, which he was silently grateful for. Rikku and Lulu tossed in their own attacks from time to time but he barely took note of them.  
  
_Feed me, fill me with sin, and get ready to fight_  
  
He jumped as the fiend's claw slid beneath him and stabbed his sword down into it. The clawed hand pulled back and Tidus pulled his sword out of the rock floor. The momentum from the movement sent him spinning slightly, so he just went with it and spun completely around.  
  
_You know you will  
You know it, you know it, you know it, you know it, that you will_  
  
As soon as he was facing the fiend again small fireballs starting coming his way. He deflected them off his sword where they bounced back to the fiend and dissolved on its shield. It threw half a dozen more with the same effect and appeared to be getting very frustrated.  
  
_You know you will...  
Fight, fight, fight_  
  
His arms were starting to tire when the fiend let out a sudden shriek of pain. Kimahri and Wakka had finally made their move, which was everyone's cue to throw everything they had at it. Lulu threw several balls of the compact magic at it, then cast ultima for good measure. Rikku was keeping up a near constant flow of thunder.  
  
_Fight, fight, fight  
Fight, fight, fight!_

By this time the fiend was in so much pain that it resorted to flailing wildly, trying desperately to take out one of its attackers, but all this accomplished was it missing nearly all the time. The physical attackers then didn't have to worry about being hit, so they attacked freely, adding to the fiend's desperation.  
  
_Free now, ride up on it  
Up to the heights, it takes you  
An otherworld awaits you_  
  
Yuna was still concentrating on keeping them shielded from its stray lucky attack, but once the fiend took a moment to try to shield itself instead of attacking, she cast her holy spell. It kicked up so much dust that everyone else halted their attacks, and once it cleared, the fiend was gone. "Did we kill it?" Tidus wondered aloud.  
  
"There were no pyreflies," Yuna mused.  
  
"Maybe they disappeared before the smoke cleared. Or maybe it wasn't made out of them to begin with." Tidus shrugged it off without a thought. "Who cares. We defeated it!" He pumped his fist into the air.  
  
"Yeah! We did it!" Rikku cheered.  
  
"Nothing can stand in our way now, ya?" Wakka added. He looked over to Lulu, who was standing thoughtfully without saying a word. "Aren't you excited, Lu?"  
  
"Not yet," she murmured, examining the cavern around her.  
  
Tidus looked around. "I don't see anything. What are you looking for?"  
  
Her eyes landed behind Yuna. "That," she said simply, forming another ball of dark matter in her hand. The others drew their weapons just in time to see the supposedly dead fiend materialize behind Yuna.  
  
"Look out!" Tidus called to her but it was too late. It had wrapped its clawed hand around Yuna, who let out an involuntary yell of surprise. "Get away from her!" he yelled at it, slamming his sword into its already weakened arm.  
  
Lulu let off her readied spell and it dropped Yuna. She backed away to a safe distance and conjured up a spell that was between the two shields she knew. One that would stay up for awhile but would be strong enough to hold it... hopefully. It raked at the shield a few times but it seemed to hold.  
  
"How the hell did you know it was going to do that?" Tidus asked.  
  
"Never mind that, how did it even do it?" Rikku said.  
  
"Yuna's observation about the lack of pyreflies was correct. Have you forgotten this fiend can change into a shadow at will?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, that."  
  
"It's trapped now so we don't need to worry," Yuna said, trying to comfort him.  
  
"What now? We call out the person behind this?" he asked, directing the question mostly at Lulu, who had become a leader of sorts for them. She nodded. "All right. Come on out! We know there's someone behind this! You can come to us or we can come to you," Tidus yelled out.  
  
"As you wish," a male voice said from behind them. They all spun around, turning their backs on the fiend. The man was in the shadows wearing a dark cloak so it was impossible to discern his features. With a wave of his hand, the shield Yuna had put up was dispelled. Tidus stepped in front of her, sword readied. The man chuckled at this action and gestured at the fiend. "Leave us." It scampered out of the cavern to somewhere deeper in the series of caves, seemingly grateful for the release. "What do you want?" he asked in a monotone voice.  
  
"That's what we came here to ask you," Lulu said.  
  
"That's a complicated matter.. but to make it simple for you, I want her," he replied, pointing at Yuna.  
  
"Well you can't have her!" Tidus yelled.  
  
Rikku groaned. "Sheesh, she put up with enough of this on the pilgrimage. You'd think someone who defeated Sin forever would get a little more respect."  
  
"I did have help," Yuna added quietly.  
  
The man seemed intrigued by this. "Defeated Sin permanently? And managed to live?"  
  
"You bet! Now kindly thank us, and leave us alone, will you?" Rikku said, glad to see some respect for once. Instead he just laughed. He laughed loud and long, a condescending and bitter sound.  
  
"What's so funny?" Tidus demanded.  
  
He finished chuckling and shook his head at him. "Do you think I care if Sin lives or dies? Do you think it affects me in the _slightest_? Look around you!" He gestured at the walls around them, which indeed appeared to have been touched by little more than time. "I have far more pressing things to worry about. Sin is a small matter to me."  
  
"Like what? Destroying the world like the idiot we wasted?" Tidus scoffed.  
  
He stepped forward into a circle of light cast down by the flickering torches on the walls. They could see his face twisted with frustration and anger.. but most of all pain. "You don't get it, do you?" he bellowed. "I do not care about your world, it does not matter!"  
  
"What does matter to you?" Yuna asked softly, sincerely.  
  
The man lowered his voice but did not soften it. "You. You, who has defeated the strongest menace to roam this world. You, who has brought someone back from the farplane. You take the world and mold it to your desire, and that is what matters to me. You have the power to do what I have needed to do for so long."  
  
"What is it you need to do?" Lulu asked.  
  
"The same thing she has done. To bring someone back from the dead."  
  
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A/N: I know that isn't exactly how they do spells and things in the game but I needed to take a bit of a creative license with it for the sake of keeping it interesting. The song there would be a few lines from Otherworld if you hadn't figured that out.  
  
Soo now we see a bit of the plot finally unfolding. Maybe now I'll get more than _three_ reviews! Come on guys, I know you can do better than that. A simple "Hi, I'm reading, update soon" will suffice. I think I lost most of my readers on my long updates... oh well... Thank you very much to those three that did review. 


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